The Gift That is a Curse
by formerAnnie
Summary: Two sisters possessing a unique and ancient trait immerse themselves in an adventure that will test their will, abilities, courage, and friendship. Will they be able to stand up against the conflict of loving the same man and the pull of the Dark Side?
1. Prologue: Rescuing the Rescuers

Author's Note: Some of you know the drill, but there are a few extras. -This- indicates that Elaina is thinking to herself, ~this~ is when Kelly-Fyn is thinking to herself, _italicized_ means that it's a flashback, although they will be rarer in this one, and I'll designate changes in points of view and places with parentheses. In this chapter, it won't be in any particular point of view…just warning you. Enjoy!

Prologue: Rescuing the Rescuers

(At the Jedi Council)

"Master Qui-Gon, a mission for you, have we," Yoda stated with his almost frog-like voice from his round chair among the others of the Council.

"Were we not to begin preparing for our negotiations with the Trade Federation at Naboo?" the Jedi Knight, standing beside his twenty-five year old padawan in the middle of the room, queried. Qui-Gon Jinn was a tall, well-built, middle-aged man with past shoulder-length, slightly wavy, medium brown hair and cloudy sky-blue eyes. His padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was several inches shorter than his master with short, light brown hair, cut in the style of all padawans with the single, long braid, and blue-gray eyes. They both had somewhat identical Jedi robes of hues of brown.

"Leave without help did the Kalonya sisters go. To release Jedi prisoners in two days were they to go, but they could not wait," the short green Jedi went on.

"Kalonya…I have never heard of these girls."

The Knight quickly received one of Yoda's infamous grandfatherly laughs.

"Would not, you would."

Qui-Gon was clearly confused; however, the dark-toned, wise Mace Windu added his own note.

"Qui-Gon, you and your apprentice are to go to the Aikhibba system. Elaina and Kelly-Fyn Kalonya left ahead of schedule on a rescue mission. Three Jedi are being held by Spadda the Hutt there. Use extra caution and bring them all back here safely. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Master," the Jedi replied before walking out of the room with Obi-Wan on his heels.

"Master," the padawan began, "why us? How are these two women so important that the Council has to send us after them for their irresponsible actions?"

"Peace, my young padawan learner. You must understand that female Jedi were not allowed until about a century ago. There are less of them because they are only allowed on the condition that their parents are dead. The Jedi Master who invented that rule did not want the female Jedi to have too many worldly attachments."

"It seems a bit harsh."

"Well, the fact is that women, for some unknown reason, are less likely to have a great potential in using the Force, but when they do, they are often even more powerful. The rule was founded on the grounds that the Jedi Order could not risk losing the few women they had to outside affections. In a sense, women have the upper hand over us."

"I still don't understand why we have to go after these two."

"Neither do I, Obi-Wan, but it is not our place to question the will of the Council."

"You don't seem to have a problem with it too often."

"Mind your place, young one."

(On Aikhibba during the deep of night)

The two women were hiding in the underbrush just outside the prison camp. In dim light, their appearances could only be deciphered by close examination. The taller one lying on the left had straight, shoulder-length, dark brown hair nearly covering her somewhat round face and deep coffee-colored eyes. Her fairly tight-fitting black leather pants, long-sleeved, tied black leather tunic with wide grey trim, and grey robe were in the normal Jedi style; however, the black part of it was far from the usual. She also had a baldric, which held her lightsaber and, further up, a specially made laser pistol. The shorter girl by a couple of inches on the right had wavy golden brown hair tied in a low ponytail with a strip of leather, which reached past her waist and allowed her more oval than round face to be seen, and crystal blue eyes that nearly glowed in the dim light. Whatever she was wearing underneath the rough, brown robe was hidden as she had wrapped it all the way around herself.

"The security is tighter than we thought, Kelly," the woman on the right, Elaina, stated. She possessed a voice of a medium-high pitch, feminine, yet not completely. "Maybe we should wait for reinforcements, after all, just to be safe."

"Are you joking?" the other girl asked with a voice of a lower tone than Elaina's. "You're the one who said that you could kill twenty Hutts with one thought."

"I did and I probably can, but that does not mean that I am prepared to go in there with no idea of what I'm going to face."

"Well, you can sense how many are in there, can't you?"

"Yes, but I can't tell what kind of weapons they have. Amount is one thing, but size is completely different."

"Oh, come on, Elaina! With my fighting capabilities and your power with the Force, we can easily rescue the Jedi in there."

"It's against my better judgment, but fine, Kelly," Elaina gave in, beginning to sneak around towards the building's front entrance in the shadows.

"It's Kelly-Fyn," the younger twin growled before following her sister as she pulled her lightsaber out of its holder. There were three guards in front the gate.

"On my signal, we take them…no sooner."

"Oh please, sis. Of all people, you should know that I stopped taking orders at the age of thirteen."

"Unfortunately…"

"Now!"

Hardly a second later, one guard was dead on the ground with a lightsaber burn across his chest, while the other two were being held against the wall with the Force by Elaina, who was leaning against a tree, still in the shadow of the forest. Her sister, on the other hand, was on the ground by the door with her purple lightsaber out, which caused her tanned face to glow in its light.

"Show off," Kelly-Fyn scoffed.

"You're the one who makes this a competition," the other woman pointed out, nearing the door cautiously, her fair skin showing its paleness in comparison with her sister's in the dim light.

"Let me see if I can pick this lock…"

"Wait," the older girl warned harshly, "I sense something. I don't know why I didn't feel it before." Seconds went by. "Kelly, run!"

Too late. As she tried to run, Kelly-Fyn ran into a shield of some sort, which knocked her over. While Elaina ran to her twin's side, a resounding laugh ran through the area, followed by about twenty armed soldiers and a Hutt coming from inside the building.

"Excellent!" the Hutt, Spadda, cried. "Now, we have five Jedi to trade instead of three. Perfect!"

Meanwhile, Kelly tested the surrounding shield while her sister faced the Hutt she was kept from killing by the barrier.

"Spadda, and here I thought your slimy rear had been shipped off to Coruscant for questioning about your little scams. I had no idea. Now, if you would just let us and the other Jedi go, we'll be on our way."

"We are not that foolish, Jedi. Now, surrender your weapons or we will kill your friends."

Three men in handcuffs were shoved into sight range with guns to their heads.

"You will release us now."

"Foolish are you to think that that Jedi mind trick would work on me."

"A bit naive, yes, foolish, no," a strange man's voice corrected before two Jedi suddenly swept onto the scene, killing five soldiers before they were able to react.

"The generator!" Elaina yelled. "Destroy the generator!" Once the box nearby had been eliminated by the younger man, the shield was lowered and, with a single hand gesture from the cloak-covered woman, all of the remaining five attackers stopped firing their guns. When only two of them unsheathed daggers and confronted the men, the others ran, closely pursued by Kelly-Fyn. "Kelly, don't…" Her words were lost as the other woman killed all three runners with a simple twirl of her lightsaber.

"What happened?" the younger man queried as Elaina ran over to her sister and began yelling,

"What did you do that for? They were harmless!"

"Elaina, they would have gone straight to their allies…and then where would we be? On the run, again."

"I disabled their guns. You could have simply used the Force to stop them instead of murdering them in their tracks."

"They were still a threat."

"In whose mind? Yours? Forget about it…just try not to do that again."

"Fine."

"Ladies!" the younger man exclaimed. "What is going on?"

"It's resolved. Who may you be?" Kelly almost flirtatiously asked while her twin casually touched the other Jedi's handcuffs, releasing the prisoners.

"You are Kelly-Fyn and Elaina Kalonya?" the older man asked, stepping forward.

"Who wants to know?"

"Kelly, give them a break!" the other girl hissed, standing beside her sister. "I am Elaina. You must be Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. My sister and I have seen you in the Jedi temple on Coruscant."

"I'm sorry, it was hinted to us that you were Jedi," Obi-Wan stated. "You couldn't be more than…well, I suppose Elaina, maybe, but Kelly-Fyn is definitely not older than fifteen!"

"We're twins, actually," the dark-haired woman corrected.

"And how old are you?"

"We just turned sixteen a week ago."

"Then you must be padawan learners still."

During the short dialogue, Qui-Gon and Elaina remained silent and separated, yet clearly amused by the argument.

"No, we became Knights a year ago, Elaina before me, though."

"Prove it."

That was a big mistake. With one smooth gesture of the hand, Kelly-Fyn cut Obi-Wan off from the Force, a natural technique only known by the two sisters, and tossed him, unharmed, into a tall tree close by.

"All right, dear sister, that's enough flirting. Get him down from there," Elaina ordered.

--

On the Republic cruiser, the three rescued Jedi were sent to the infirmary while the other four went towards the cockpit.

"So Elaina," Qui-Gon began after the captain had taken off on a course for Coruscant, "how did you and your sister become Jedi at such a young age?"

The girls were clearly uncomfortable with the question; however, it was clearer on Kelly's face than Elaina's.

"I don't think now is the time to discuss such things," the latter replied hesitantly as the com link beeped as warning of an incoming message. Windu appeared on the screen.

"Master Qui-Gon," he began, "I assume that you have completed your mission."

"If that mission was to waste their perfectly good time, then yes," Kelly growled before being interrupted by Qui-Gon.

"Yes, we are returning now."

"Since you are already in the vicinity, would you be willing to go ahead with your original mission?"

"Do you not want us to return these padawans to Coruscant?" Obi-Wan asked, still in denial over two women younger than him being Knights.

"Jedi Knights Elaina and Kelly-Fyn will be of great help to you. Elaina is perfect for assisting you in the negotiations and Kelly-Fyn will be there in case of trouble. May the Force be with you."

"How are you supposed to be great help?" the twenty-five-year-old asked the twins.

"Well," Elaina replied, "you saw Kelly's ability with both the lightsaber and the Force. I was the one who disabled the soldiers' guns."

"Why did you try using the mind trick on Spadda? Do you not know that it does not work on them?"

"I was distracting him, giving Kelly a chance to figure something out. In fact, we would have probably gotten away with even less bloodshed if you hadn't shown up."

"Speaking of less bloodshed," Kelly-Fyn said. "Elaina, remember the time we had to go undercover last month on Corellia?"

"Yes, we were helping to negotiate peace between the two countries."

"That's the one…and you passed as my mother."

"Should've seen that coming…"

As Elaina put her feet up on the nearby table, her clothes under the cloak were revealed. She was wearing a light brown, soft leather dress with long, tight sleeves. Its neckline was a somewhat low V-neck which had the lowest point slightly more to the left than the right. Branching off in the opposite direction was a seam which curled down and around her torso, disappearing as it curled to the back of the dress. Beneath the close-fitting cloth of her rather thin waist, even compared to her sister's trim figure, and flowing off of her shapely hips was the skirt of the dress. On the right side, it nearly reached her ankle; however, after slanting up to her left shin, the fabric split up to her mid-thigh. The fair skin on her left leg was covered by another, extra skirt of a sheer, mainly red, multi-colored fabric hanging off her hips. It reached just below her knees and tied on the right side, keeping the skirt flexible enough for plenty of movement. Also, the seam from above could be seen as it curled back around her hips and down her legs. Finally, she had brown leather, petite laced boots which reached her thighs and a black leather belt holding two lightsabers. Kelly-Fyn's figure was also more viewable in the light. Though the tunic covered most of her figure, it could be noticed that she was thin, well-built, and athletic. She was also wearing petite boots, although they were black and only ankle-length. Beneath the still-tied tunic was a soft grey shirt of unknown length. Her face and demeanor was slightly darker than her sister's in general. She had an air about that spelt "danger," while Elaina seemed slightly more welcoming.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	2. Many Meetings

Thanks kit9888 for your review!

Many Meetings

(Kelly-Fyn)

After hours in hyperspace, they finally came in sight of the Trade Federation blockade around the planet of Naboo.

"Captain," Qui-Gon addressed the man up front while his three companions stared out the front window.

"Yes, sir?" was the reply.

"Tell them we wish to board at once."

"Yes, sir." Nute Gunray appeared on the screen. "With all due respect for the Trade Federation, the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately."

"Yes, yes, of coarse," the alien answered, "…ah…as you know, our blockade is perfectly legal, and we'd be happy to receive the ambassador…happy to."

"Legal…happy to, my…" the taller girl grumbled. She noted that she was only a few inches shorter than Obi-Wan.

"Kelly," Elaina warned.

"Oh fine, but I get to kill the first one if this goes badly." Her words had indicated that her twin was complaining about her growling; however, they both knew that the older girl was reprimanding Kelly-Fyn for her study of Obi-Wan.

"Come on, you two," the eldest Jedi coaxed. "I don't understand how you can stand being around each other when you squabble so much."

"We don't squabble. We tease. There is a big difference," the shortest person of the group countered before walking towards the ship's exit as it landed in the docking bay. In the docking bay, the four Jedi raised the hoods of their cloaks, covering their faces before going through the nearby door, which opened once they were within proximity.

"I am TC-14 at your service," a feminine-sounding protocol droid introduced. "This way, please." Once the guests were in a conference room, the robot continued, "I hope you honored sirs and misses will be the most comfortable here. My master will be with you shortly."

With the droid gone, the two male Jedi lowered their hoods and looked out the window.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan opinionated.

"I don't sense anything," Qui-Gon replied while Elaina kicked back in one of the chairs and Kelly-Fyn paced the length of the room.

"It's not about the mission, Master, it something…elsewhere…elusive."

"Don't center on your anxiety, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."

"But, Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future."

"…but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young padawan."

"Yes, Master…how do you think the trade viceroy will deal with the chancellor's demands?"

"These Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be short."

"…if there are any negotiations at all," Kelly-Fyn muttered, taking a seat across from her sister.

"Not to judge Qui-Gon too suddenly, Kelly, but I'm sensing something too, although I have a feeling that it's different from what he's thinking of…"

"Elaina, are you sure? Wait a second…I think I know what you're talking about…"

Both women leaped up as TC-14 entered with a tray and drinks and set it down on table before moving back to the door. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was indifferently asking his master,

"Is it their nature to make us wait this long?"

"No, I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this dispute," Qui-Gon replied, taking a drink. Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard, to which the Jedi responded by drawing their lightsabers. "Gas!" All four of them held their breaths, using the Force to lessen the need for immediate air. As the door opened a moment later, allowing some of the green cloud of gas to exit the room, TC-14 left with the tray, soon followed by the slashing Jedi.

"Hey!" Kelly-Fyn exclaimed when Qui-Gon achieved destroying the first two battle droids. "I thought I was going to get the first kill!"

"Give it up, sis," Elaina advised, unruffled by the ten droids which surrounded her as she simply hurled them against the opposite wall at the same time as Obi-Wan. Kelly narrowed her eyes. She was the one who had been dragging her twin on stalking trips, and yet, there they were, so alike.

~Concentrate! Now is not the time to be jealous. Besides, he's a Jedi!~

While the older Jedi reached the bridge door and proceeded to cut through it, the other three fended off the oncoming flow of droids. It was so easy. The robots were not nearly as bright as real people, and therefore were unable to keep up with the strictly trained fighters they were confronting. Even though the thick blast doors were quickly closed when Qui-Gon was nearly through, he simply stabbed into the metal, easily melting it away. Unfortunately, ten destroyer droids quickly rounded the corner, forcing the man to turn around and defend himself against the shielded fighters.

"They have shield generators!" Obi-Wan noted.

"It's a standoff. Let's go!" Qui-Gon ordered, racing down the hall with his fellow Jedi close behind him. Though, behind them, the droids kept firing, the group easily made it to end of the hall, slipping into the closest ventilation shaft. With Qui-Gon in the front, followed by Obi-Wan, Kelly-Fyn, and Elaina, they crawled through the tiny tunnel. Looking behind her, the younger girl noticed her sister noiselessly plodding forward with her jaw set. She had forgotten the list of their different fears and dislikes that she and her twin had drawn up when they were still padawans listening to the single Jedi lecture on politics. Actually, there were parts that the sisters had listened to: Elaina had been interested in the negotiating techniques, while Kelly found the end of the lecture quite interesting where Master Windu had entered to give a different lecture on fighting methods. Anyway, it had turned out that, however more knowledgeable the older girl was in the Force and being a peace-keeper, she disliked flying, small spaces, heights, and most foreign foods, while Kelly-Fyn's main aversion was for any lack of action. Back to reality, ahead, Qui-Gon jumped down to the floor at the end of the shaft. Once on the ground herself, the dark-haired Jedi peeked around the corner. Thousands of the battle droids were being loaded onto the lined-up landing crafts.

"Battle droids," the older man said, pointing out the obvious.

"It's an invasion army," Obi-Wan noted, getting rolled eyes from both of the women.

"It's an odd play for the Trade Federation. We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum. Let's split up. Stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet."

"You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short."

(Elaina)

The girl curled up in a corner of the closest ship, surrounded by folded-up battle droids. Poking one experimentally to see if it would wake up as easily as she feared, Elaina was imagining how her sister was probably using the Force to probe their hardware…if she wasn't taking them apart by hand. Thinking of her twin and the Force, it shocked the girl of how often she had to remind someone only five minutes younger than her to use it…that and patience. Suddenly, the ship jolted as it took off.

-I hope this thing is air tight-

When the craft finally landed several minutes later, the girl tried sneaking off unseen, but her hope was in vain as three droids, each on a S.T.A.P., began pursuing her. Since she didn't exactly have time to stop, turn around, and use the Force to destroy them, the Jedi was forced to race into the trees, yanking one of her green lightsabers out to fend off the blaster shots aimed in her direction. A moment later, deep in the forest, she heard the sound of gunfire aside from the ones behind her and knew that her friends were close by.

"Incoming!" she yelled upon seeing all three of her companions and an extra person in the clearing ahead. Dropping to the ground so that the S.T.A.P.s easily passed over her, Elaina smashed one against a tree with the Force while the men destroyed the other two manually.

"What's this?" she asked at the same time as Obi-Wan, seeing the strange humanoid-like creature standing beside Qui-Gon.

"A local," was the annoyed reply. "Let's go, before more of those droids show up."

"More? More, did you spake?!" the…thing exclaimed, following the four retreating Jedi. "Ex-squeeze me, but da mosta safest place would be Gunga City. Tis where I grew up…tis a hidden city."

All of the humans stopped in their tracks.

"A city?" Qui-Gon queried. "Can you take us there?"

"Ahhh, on second tought…no, not willy, no."

"No?"

"Iss embarrassing! But, uhh…my afrai my've been banished. My forgotten. Der boss would do terrible tings to me. Terrible tings to me if me go in back dare." Everyone heard the sound of oncoming enemies in the distance.

"You hear that?"

"Yeah?"

"That's the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

"If they find us," Obi-Wan threateningly added, "they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces, then blast us into oblivion!"

"Oh!" the creature realized. "Yousa point is well seen. Dissa way! Hurry!"

After turning a few circles and almost hitting Obi-Wan in the head with his big ears, the local, Jar-Jar, led them deeper into the forest. About an hour passed before they finally reached a swampy lake.

"How much farther?" the eldest Jedi asked.

"Wesa goin' underwater, okeyday? Mesa warning you, Gungans no liken outlanders, so…don't expect a wern welcome."

"Oh, don't worry," Obi-Wan said, "this hasn't been our day for warm welcomes." With a crazy yell, the Gungan jumped in the lake while the men pulled out small breathing masks from their utility belts. The girls, however, simply began wading into the water. "Kelly-Fyn, Elaina, do you not have one of these?"

"As I taught Kelly," the older sister said, "the Force can be used in more ways than people will admit."

Popping up from the water, Jar-Jar stated,

"Yousa follow me now, okeyday?" With Jar-Jar in the lead and the others just behind, the entourage dove into the murky water. Deep below the surface, lighted bubbles of the city appeared in the distance. All they did was swim through one of the bubbles to find themselves inside what seemed to be an underwater building. The Gungans milled around as if being surrounded by tons of water was just a normal thing. "So good bein' home!"

"Hey, yousa. Stapa der!" one of the locals called.

"Heyo-dalee, Cap'n Tarpals, mesa back!" Jar-Jar exclaimed to the guard.

"Noah gain, Jar-Jar," the guard on his strange mount said. "Yousa goin' tada Bosses. Yousa in big dudu this time."

As Jar-Jar moaned in regret, another came up behind him and shocked him with a strange stick, causing him to yelp.

"How wude."

The guards then proceeded to direct the newcomers to a meeting hall of some sorts. Several Gungan officials lined the room on one long bench. While Qui-Gon stated their case, Elaina whispered to her sister,

"Kelly, do you feel that? It's like a faint buzz in the back of the mind, just out of reach. I know it's there, but I can't tell what it is."

"I was beginning to think that I was the only one," the other girl responded just as quietly. "It's familiar, somehow."

"Exactly…" The weighty lead Gungan broke through their conversation, clicking his tongue.

"Yousa cannot bees here. Dis army of mackineeks up dare tis new weesong!"

"Translation, please," Kelly sarcastically muttered to Elaina as Qui-Gon replied to the Boss.

"That droid army is about to attack the Naboo. We must warn them."

"Wesa no like da Naboo! Un dey no like uss-ens. Da Naboo tink day so smarty den us-enss. Dey tink dey brains so beeg."

"Once those droids take control of the surface, they will take control of you," Obi-Wan argued.

"Mesa no tink so. Dey not know of uss-en."

"You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle. What happens to one of you will affect the other. You must understand this."

"Wesa no carren about da Naboo."

"Then speed us on our way," Qui-Gon suggested, using the mind trick.

"Wesa gonna speed yousaway."

"We could use a transport."

"Wesa give yousa una bongo. Da speediest way to da Naboo tis goin' through da planet core. Now, go."

"Thank you for your help. We leave in peace."

"Master," Obi-Wan began, "what's a bongo?"

"A transport…I hope."

Then Elaina caught sight of Jar-Jar. He looked extremely pitiful in his chains as he spoke to the older man.

"Deza setten yousa up. Goin' through da planet core…bad bombin. Umm, any hep here would be hot." The pitiful look was accented by a sheepish grin.

"Qui-Gon, he could be of use," Elaina quietly advised.

"Master," Obi-Wan countered, "we are short on time."

"We'll need a navigator to get us through the planet's core," was the reply as he walked back towards the "boss." "This Gungan may be of help. What is to become of Jar-Jar Binks, here?"

"Hisen to be pune-ished," the fat Gungan answered with a cruel grin.

"I saved his life. He owes me what you call a 'life debt'. Your gods demand that his life belongs to me, now."

"Binkss? Yousa have da lifeplay with thisen hisen?"

"Uh-huh?" Jar-Jar broke in. Elaina shivered as the Boss furiously shook his head, sending drool flying everywhere.

"Begone wit him."

"Count me outta dis one!" Jar-Jar argued as the women grabbed both of his unchained arms, dragging him along in annoyance. "Better dead here, den deader in da core…yegads! Whatsa mesa sayin?!"

Being directed to a small, strange submarine, the companions stuffed themselves in, Obi-Wan in the driver's seat and Jar-Jar in the other chair, with Qui-Gon behind them in the middle and the girls on either side of him.

"Dis is nutsen. Oh, goberfish!"

"Why were you banished, Jar-Jar?" the padawan asked.

"Tis a longo tale, buta…a small part would be mesa…uh, clumsy." The huge underwater, stone structures fascinated Elaina.

"You were banished because you were clumsy?"

"Uh…yousa mighten be sayin dat." Elaina felt a presence and whipped around at the same time as her sister. She had sensed it too. While the Gungan ranted, she whispered,

"Qui-Gon, consider looking behind you." Just as she spoke, a giant fish bit down on their pod.

"Big goberfish! Huge-o teeth!" After several seconds of waiting for seemingly imminent death at the hands…or teeth of a creature without hardly even any intelligence, another larger creature came onto the scene and chomped on the goberfish, forcing it to release the sub.

"There's always a bigger fish," the Jedi nonchalantly stated.

"Mesa tink we goin' back now." Minutes later, he again spoke, to Elaina's disappointment. "Where are wesa goin'?"

"Don't worry. The Force will guide us."

"Oh, maxi-big da Force. Well, that smells stinkovin."

"We're losing power," Obi-Wan suddenly reported as the vehicle slowed to a halt. The older girl instantly moved aside to give Kelly and the padawan some room for working on the repairs.

"Wesa die in here."

"Stay calm. We're not in trouble, yet," the man told the groaning local prior to looking at Elaina while Jar-Jar again ranted. "I believe I judged you rather quickly. Now, I notice how you and your sister work together so efficiently. Is that how the Council came to make you partners?"

"Well," the girl replied, "I suppose they simply knew that, since we grew up together and can practically predict what the other will do, they figured that we would be of more use continuing together."

"Where did you come from?"

"Power's back," Obi-Wan interrupted, to the girl's relief.

"Thanks to me," Kelly added as the younger man took up the controls and a giant sea monster appeared in front of them. The Gungan went completely nuts.

"Relax," Qui-Gon ordered, putting his hand on the creature's shoulder, practically putting him into a coma.

"You overdid it," the padawan warned as Jar-Jar's tongue lolled out of his mouth. An even larger predator came into view. Obi-Wan took advantage of the situation by directing the sub over the head of the animal, causing it to bite into the other pursuing fish.

"Head for that outcropping."

(Obi-Wan)

By the time they reached the surface of the Naboo lake, it was already well into the next day.

"Mmm, dis is loverly," their tagalong pointed out as the Jedi happily stood. Obi-Wan suddenly felt that someone was watching him, but when he turned around, his friends were looking around at the scenery. After managing to reach the shore, they noiselessly jogged up to a walkway overlooking part of the large cobblestone plaza and snuck to a balcony which brought into view the queen, her attendants, and an escort of about fifteen battle droids. The invasion had already taken place. Somehow, it was quieter than it had been for a while. As he turned to look at Jar-Jar, Obi-Wan noticed that he wasn't talking. A little further away was Elaina with a clenched fist. Apparently, she had been just as tired of the ruckus as he, only she did something about it.

"Elaina," he whispered, "don't squeeze too hard."

"Oh," was the simple reply as the young Jedi relaxed her hand a little. Both she and her sister were pretty in their own ways. Kelly-Fyn was darker in clothing, composure, and attitude, aside from the occasional sarcastic comment, while the older twin was practically completely opposite in every manner. And yet, they got along perfectly well, other than teasing and bossing each other around. When the escort neared the balcony, the Jedi leaped down and began killing off all of the droids. Strangely, the dark-haired girl brought out a gun and used it to eliminate the last three. He could sense the overwhelming feeling of defiance from Kelly-Fyn and the irritation of Elaina. Clearly, the older girl did not approve of her sister's use of the particular weapon. After killing the last robot, they moved the group around the corner, out of sight, before Qui-Gon spoke to the queen.

"Your Highness, we are the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor."

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, ambassador," an older man complained.

"The negotiations never took place. Your Highness, we must make contact with the Republic."

"They've knocked out all our communications," another man, who actually seemed to know what he was doing, explained.

"Do you have transports?"

"In the main hanger. This way." Alarms went off as the captain led the rescuers towards the hanger. Again, Obi-Wan had the feeling of someone watching him, though he resisted the urge to look behind him.

Thanks for reading! Please, please review! This definitely wasn't my best chapter ever, but it will get better in a little while.


	3. Secret Discoveries

Thanks kit9888, DragonRider2000, and Leah Renee for your reviews!

Secret Discoveries

Reaching the entrance to the central hanger several minutes later with only limited resistance, Kelly-Fyn marveled at the large, shiny ship on the platform before Elaina yanked her into hiding in the hall just as one of the battle droids turned her way.

"There's too many of them," the captain stated hopelessly, peeking around the corner at the dozens of droids.

"That won't be a problem," Qui-Gon casually argued prior to turning to the Queen, who was fancily dressed with a black gown, feather tiara, and white powder makeup. "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."

"Thank you, ambassador," the tall girl replied with a soft, yet strong voice, "but my place is with my people."

"They will kill you if you stay."

"They wouldn't dare," the older man spoke again, loud enough to cause the other female Jedi to visibly cringe. Kelly-Fyn was mentally begging her sister to not strike out at the man. Even though the younger girl usually had the fiery temper, Elaina could cause anyone to jump out of their skin when she was in the mood.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her," the captain added.

"The situation here is not what it seems," Qui-Gon countered. "There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."

Again, the complainer broke in.

"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us…Senator Palpatine will need your help."

"Either choice presents great danger," the queen stated, turning to her handmaidens, "…to us all."

"We are brave, Your Highness," one of the maids responded with a small, feminine voice.

"If you are to leave, Your Highness," the eldest Jedi broke in, "it must be now."

"Yes, please decide before the patrols heading our way do it for you, Your Highness," Elaina put in with almost mocking emphasis on the title. Kelly-Fyn again begged, that time with her eyes. She had had more than enough experience with her sister to know of her incredibly tolerant nature, except when it came to politicians. For some reason, however the young woman was better than the dark brunette in negotiating, her patience became amazingly thin when it came to confronting actual politicians.

"Then I will plead our case to the Senate," Amidala finalized. "Be careful, Governor."

With the three Jedi and the padawan in the lead, about half of the group walked into the hanger.

"We need to free those pilots," the captain stated, pointing to a group of men on the floor, guarded by six battle droids.

"I'll take care of that," Obi-Wan unworriedly replied, walking towards the cluster of people and robots, closely followed by none other than Kelly-Fyn.

(Elaina)

Politicians! The girl had always confused her little sister with her pickiness when it came to choosing those she liked and disliked. Politics, negotiating, and the like were one thing, but politicians? They were always bickering about something or taking advantage of each other. Her thoughts were broken as a droid stood in front of her and Qui-Gon, held up its hand, and addressed them.

"Halt."

"We are ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor, and we're taking these people to Coruscant," Qui-Gon simply answered.

"Where are you taking them?"

Pause.

"To Coruscant."

"Coruscant…uh, that doesn't compute, uh, we…uh, you're under arrest."

Less than five seconds later, all of the droids blocking their path were destroyed. Kelly and Obi-Wan had just released the pilots, some of which instantly ran to the ship while others raced away as the fighters continued to easily fend off the other oncoming machines. Elaina trotted onto the ship after her friends just as the ship began to take off. She then walked to the cockpit with Qui-Gon, soon to be joined by her sister and the short-haired padawan. The more she looked at him, the more handsome he seemed.

"There's the blockade," the pilot announced just before the giant Federation ships began firing on their own vessel. Knowing that the other Jedi would handle any problems, the girl walked past her sister towards the queen's quarters, using the Force to keep herself from falling over as the captain yelled,

"The shield generator's been hit!"

Unruffled by the sudden jolts, she stopped in front of the door and pressed a button.

"Who is it?" the same voice as that of the handmaiden which had spoken on Naboo asked over the com link.

"I am Elaina Kalonya, one of the Jedi who saved your queen. I'm simply wondering what her tactics are going to be. As much as I dislike working with politicians, there are a few methods I could advise the queen to use in her deliberations with the Senate. I have some experience with negotiating." The Jedi didn't care if sounded somewhat hostile. That was one of the nice things of being what she was. Few could tell her what and what not to do. The door promptly opened, revealing precisely the handmaiden she had been thinking of. Sadly, the girl was still wearing the annoyingly bright orange maiden attire. "Does the queen enjoy torturing you with bright colors?"

The maid's hackles seemed to rise, but, impressively, her voice held no contempt when she responded.

"We do not question the queen's choices; however, I have given her small advice in the past."

"Where is the queen?"

"She just went into the other room to speak with your friends. I was just about to follow her. Would you care to wait?"

"No, my friends are probably wondering where I am." As the other woman began walking away, Elaina noticed the way she walked. "Wait! What family do you come from?" A momentary silence ensued.

"Naberrie."

Naberrie…The name rang through Elaina's mind as she walked towards the audience hall. She had read the name in a political book of some kind recently, but infuriatingly could not remember many details.

-Too bad I didn't listen to most of those lectures as I let my sister believe, trying to be a good influence and all-

"R2-D2, Your Highness," Captain Panaka's voice could be heard saying as the Jedi woman entered.

-Does she need a throne everywhere she goes?-

"Thank you, R2-D2," the queen said to the little droid nearby before turning to the maid that the girl had spoken to. "Padme! Clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude." R2 whistled with pleasure as the gussied up lady once again spoke to Panaka. "Continue, Captain." The man nervously looked to Qui-Gon, who instantly took his queue.

"Your Highness, with your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine. It is a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation."

"I do not agree with the Jedi on this," the captain stated.

"You must trust my judgment, Your Highness."

Once out of the conference room, both of the girls groaned. Sure they had been to Tatooine, but they did not want to go back. Linking arms, the sisters walked to the mess hall for the purpose of wasting away the hour it would take to reach the planet.

--

(Kelly-Fyn)

"That's it: Tatooine," Obi-Wan noted almost precisely an hour later. The twins were leaning against the wall at the back of the cockpit, staring loathingly at the clearly desert planet they were fast approaching.

"There's a settlement," the pilot pointed out. The girls did not hear any more of the conversation as they trotted to the ship's exit to wait.

"Kelly, do you think there might a chance that you can repair the hyperdrive?" Elaina queried.

"Truly, I'm just as disappointed as you that we have to come back here, sis, but I can tell from here that we're not going anywhere without replacements."

"Oh, so you are actually using the Force for something…impressive."

"You insult me, dear sister. I may prefer using my hands to using my oh-so-great talent, but I'm not that stubborn."

"That's a shocker."

"Hey!"

After the Jedi had succeeded in cheering each other up, Qui-Gon came towards them with two rough-looking cloaks of different shades of brown.

"Here," he said, handed the clothes to his companions, "you'll need these. We want to blend in as much as possible." There was a long pause as the ship door opened and Kelly-Fyn and Elaina tossed on the cloaks. "Are sure that you want to come? Even though it's more evident from you, Elaina, I can tell that both of you are uncomfortable in being here."

"It's alright, Qui-Gon," the younger woman replied. "There is more than one reason why we're so uptight. If I can feel it, I know that Elaina feels it. If the Force was a big pool of water, someone just threw a boulder into it."

"Yes, excellent metaphor," Elaina stated. "But can we get this over with?"

To Kelly-Fyn's disappointment, Jar-Jar came along with them. The Gungan instantly began talking.

"Da sun doin' murder to mesa skin."

"Wait!" Captain Panaka called, walking up to them with Padme close behind. She was dressed in rough peasant's clothing. "Wait! Her Highness commands you to take her handmaiden with you."

"No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain. The spaceport is not going to be pleasant…"

"The queen wishes it," the captain interrupted. "She's curious about the planet."

"This is not a good idea. Stay close to me," he ordered Padme. As she walked next to the maid, Kelly-Fyn noticed that she was about the same height (maybe a little shorter) as herself, though with more of a petite and exotic build, while the Jedi was more athletic. The girl could sense that both of the other Jedi were against Padme's being there. Jar-Jar, on the other hand, didn't really care as he was frantically looking around at his surroundings. Meanwhile, R2 whistled casually. Kelly hadn't realized his presence until that moment.

"…moisture farms for the most part," Qui-Gon was explaining to Padme, "but also a few indigenous tribes and scavengers. The few spaceports like this one are havens for those who do not wish to be found…"

"…like us," the maid finished.

"We'll try one of the smaller dealers." Entering a decrepit building, they were greeted by a blue, winged alien who used his small wings to float about four feet from the ground.

"Hi chuba da naga? (What do you want?)" he asked with a rough voice.

"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian."

"Ah, yes. Nubian…We have lots of that," was the reply before the alien turned around and yelled, "Peedokie! Naba dee unko! (Boy! Get in here, now!)"

"My droid here has a readout of what I need."

At that, a young boy with sand-colored hair came running from the junk yard in the back.

"Coon tee-tocky malia? (What took you so long?)"

"Mel tassa cho-passa… (I was cleaning the bin like you…)" the boy began, only to be interrupted.

"Chut-Chut! Ganda doe wallya. Me dwana no bata (Never mind! Watch the store. I've got some selling to do here). Soooo, let me take-a thee out back, huh? You'll find what you need."

"Don't touch anything," Qui-Gon told Jar-Jar, who stuck his tongue out at the man's retreating back. In the meantime, the boy sat down on the counter, pretending to clean a part; however, it was obvious that he was staring at Padme.

"Someone's got a crush," Kelly-Fyn whispered quietly enough so that only her sister heard it. Although, Elaina smiled slightly at the remark, it was clear that she was only half paying attention. Her focus was on the boy nearby, as if there was something about him that only the Jedi could see.

"Are you an angel?" he suddenly asked Padme, who laughingly queried in turn,

"What?"

"An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They live on the Moons of Iego, I think. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe.

"You're a funny little boy. How do you know so much?"

"I listen to all the traders and star pilots that come through here. I'm a pilot, you know? And, some day, I'm gonna fly away from this place."

"You're a pilot?"

"Mm-hm, all my life."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since I was very little, three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us, betting on the podraces."

"You're a slave?"

"I'm a person and my name is Anakin!"

"I'm sorry. I don't fully understand. This is a strange place to me."

As Jar-Jar began making a mess and the other two humans watched, Elaina surprised her sister by whispering,

"There's something about him. If I was to put it into a metaphor and the Force was a school of fish, he would be surrounded by many of them…possibly even more so than us."

Confused, Kelly asked,

"Are you trying to say that he…?"

"Yes…he has great potential with the Force. I can see it in his eyes. You know, since you seem so similar to him, maybe the Council would let you train him. After that, I'm sure they would be more than happy to put you on the Council itself. Of course, he may be too old."

"Them and their rules…we were too old, yet here we are: two of the youngest Jedi Knights in history."

"Hit the nose!" Anakin advised Jar-Jar, who complied, causing the little robot to cease its destructive mode. The sisters continued talking as the conversation between Anakin and Padme recommenced.

"Are you sure of this, Elaina? Sensing potential was never my forte, so I can only feel a fringe of it; however, I have to admit that it's there."

"I am positive. I'll talk to Qui-Gon about it. One of the things I noticed on those stocking trips you used to drag me on is that he rarely passes up an opportunity."

Suddenly, the Jedi in question came striding through the shop towards the front entrance.

"We're leaving," he demanded. "Jar-Jar…" The Gungan was trying and ultimately failing to balance a bunch of parts on his hands, soon falling over.

"I'm glad to have met you, Anakin," the handmaiden said before going out the door, soon followed by her companions. The female Jedi were last.

"I was glad to meet you to!" the boy called after the girl.

"Nice to see you again, Watto," both women said in unison, receiving confused looks from both the slave and the Toydarian. They softly giggled together while catching up with Qui-Gon.

~Well, it may have been worth it to come along, if only for the jokes~

After finding a shaded, quiet place for everyone to sit down and rest, the man took out his communicator and began talking to Obi-Wan over the com link.

"Padme," Elaina unexpectedly began, "how old is the queen?"

"Why do you ask?" the other girl queried in turn, almost hostilely.

"Oh, just curious."

"She's fourteen."

Of course, Kelly-Fyn only half listened to that dialogue since she was paying more attention to Obi-Wan's casual, manly voice as he spoke to Qui-Gon over the link.

"I'll check back later," he finished, starting out of the shade, only to be stopped by Jar-Jar.

"Noah gain, Noah gain…da beings hereabouts: cawazy! Wesa be robbed un crunched!"

"Not likely. We have nothing of value, that's our problem."

Several minutes later, in the marketplace, Jar-Jar once again got into trouble. The group was walking towards another shop when they heard the Gungan cry out with alarm. Turning to the noise and seeing her companion being pushed to the ground by another alien, Kelly-Fyn put a hand on her hidden lightsaber, only to have her sister stop her. She couldn't understand how her twin could be so calm in certain situations.

"Think," the older girl whispered as Anakin stopped the attacker and spoke to him in the local language, causing him to back down and walk away.

"Hi!" the boy said as the Jedi, maid, and droid approached.

"Hi there," Qui-Gon replied.

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba."

"Nosir, nosir," Jar-Jar countered. "Mesa hate crunchen. Dat's da last ting mesa wanten."

"Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading for trouble," the man corrected. "Thanks, my young friend."

"But, but, but mesa doin' nutten!"

They once again ended up beside Anakin as the boy bought something from an elderly shop owner. Elaina was quietly talking to Qui-Gon, who had to bend down to actually hear what the girl was saying due to his over-six-foot height and her just-over-five-foot stature. She was probably telling the Jedi about Anakin's potential.

"Here," the boy coaxed Qui-Gon, clearly breaking his train of thought, "you'll like these pallies. Here." As the man put the food…or whatever it was into his belt, his lightsaber was revealed for a split second.

"Oh, my bones are aching!" the old woman cried. "…storm's comin' up, Annie. You'd better get home quick."

"Do you have shelter?"

"We'll head back to out ship," was the reply as the group moved off towards the edge of town.

"Is it far?"

"It's on the outskirts," Padme answered.

"You'll never reach the outskirt in time! Sandstorms are very, very dangerous. Come on! I'll take you to my place."

By the time the visitors followed Anakin into a small, poor hut, the sandstorm was already sending its grains up Kelly-Fyn's pant legs.

"Mom! Mom, I'm home!"

"Oh, dissent cozy," Jar-Jar commented as a dark-haired, middle-aged woman of medium height emerged from what appeared to be a small kitchen.

"These are my friends, Mom."

"Hello."

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," the man introduced, although a glint of recognition crossed his eyes, as Anakin dragged Padme to see a droid he was bragging about. "You son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

(Elaina)

While Kelly and Padme went to help Anakin's mother, Shmi, in the kitchen, the older twin stood beside Qui-Gon as he spoke to Obi-Wan over the com link. The padawan explained that a transmission had been sent from Naboo and its contents. When he was finished, the man responded,

"It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace."

"But, what if it is true and the people are dying?"

"Either way, we're running out of time. Now," he said, turning to Elaina, "what was it you were saying earlier about the boy?"

"I don't know why I feel it more with this boy," she half lied. "He has great potential, Qui-Gon…and I know that you sense it too."

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know how I'm doing so far! I'm not quite as sure of myself with this story compared to my other ones because I haven't been able to think this one out nearly as much as I did with the others.


	4. More Mysteries and Few Explanations

Thanks kit9888 and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

More Mysteries and Few Explanations

Elaina stood looking out the door at the sandstorm outside. It hadn't blown over. In fact, it was at its peak. By the time she went to the table where everyone else was eating, they were deep in conversation and food.

"All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies somewhere," Shmi explained while pouring a drink into Qui-Gon's cup for him. He was clearly at ease there.

"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine," Anakin bragged.

"Any attempt to escape…"

"…and they blow you up…boom!"

"How wude," Jar-Jar commented, followed by Padme.

"I can't believe there is still slavery in the galaxy. The Republic's anti-slavery laws…"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Shmi interrupted. "We must survive on our own."

"Maybe I could help. I was actually able to…" Kelly began, only to quickly cut off as the older girl gave her a death glare. It was not the time for her sister to start bragging about how she was responsible for getting them off of the dusty rock the first time. If she did, they might as well give away their family history. Following an awkward silence, Anakin broke in,

"Have you ever seen a Podrace?" as the Gungan snatched an apple across the table with his long tongue, receiving dirty looks from all three Jedi. Meanwhile, Padme shook her head no.

"They have Podracing on Malastare," Qui-Gon stated. "Very fast, very dangerous."

"I'm the only human who can do it."

"You must have Jedi reflexes for that." As if to prove the point, the man caught Jar-Jar's tongue between his fingers as it went for another apple. "Don't do that again," he ordered prior to letting go of the creature's tongue, causing it to snap back into his mouth.

"You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedis carry that kind of weapon."

"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him."

"I don't think so. No one can kill a Jedi."

"I wish that were so."

"I had a dream I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves. Have you come to free us?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"I think you have. Why else would you be here?"

"I can see there's no fooling you. You mustn't let anyone know about us…we're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic, on a very important mission, and it must be kept secret."

"How did you end up here in the outer rim?"

"Our ship was damaged and we're stranded here until we can repair it," Padme said.

"I can help! I can fix anything!"

"I believe you can," Qui-Gon stated, "but our first job is to acquire the parts we need."

"Wit no-nutten mula to trade," Jar-Jar put in.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind," the maid suggested.

"Gambling," the mother replied. "Everything here revolves around betting on those awful races."

(Kelly-Fyn)

The older twin made eye contact with Kelly, who nodded in understanding.

"Podracing," Qui-Gon added. "Greed can be a powerful ally…if used properly."

"I've built a racer!" Anakin offered as the sisters rose and quietly excused themselves. "It's the fastest ever!"

The boy's voice was slightly muffled as the girls stepped out onto the balcony and walked to the far left side of it, looking out at the dark horizon. The sandstorm was kept away from them by Elaina with the Force.

"Alright, Elaina, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Be careful of going too far, Kelly," was the cautious reply. "I don't think revealing ourselves to a Jedi and two slaves is a very good idea."

"Is that it?"

"No…have you not sensed it?"

"Which one?"

Elaina visibly rolled her eyes before pausing.

"I suppose there is more than one thing. There is an evil come from the shadows in the distance…and possibly the most potential of a Jedi that we have ever seen close at hand."

"Accept for us."

"…maybe, but I doubt it. None of the books or prophecies I have read say anything about the Chosen One being weaker than us. Besides it would just seem…wrong."

"You think he is the Chosen One?"

"Well, we are supposed to have the ability to sense it, right? I'm not saying that he definitely is, since I have no reference to know for sure…"

"You may be right. We should keep an eye out for him."

"This would be nice place to sleep tonight, other than the sand…what do you think?"

"Sure."

Having come to an agreement on more than one subject, the Jedi walked back into the house where Shmi was saying,

"…I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you."

"So…I take it we're going to a podrace?" Kelly-Fyn queried. Mutters of approval came from around the room, though only Anakin seemed happy about it. "Great! How would you like it if I helped you finish your pod tomorrow, Annie?"

"You were outside!" the boy exclaimed. "How did you know?"

"We're Jedi."

An hour later, the storm had died down and the sisters were on the balcony, leaning against the house with their cloaks wrapped around them, looking at the stars.

"So," Elaina began, "…what do you think, so far? I mean, I have been bossing you around and giving my opinion since we arrived here; however, you have been a bit short on your opinions when you are usually quite…forward?"

"I lied to you. I do think that Anakin is the Chosen One."

"Really? And here I was beginning to think that I was completely losing my mind," the older girl stated sarcastically, leaning against the banister.

"No…it's just…things have been a bit…confusing of late, I believe the proper word would be…being back here and all."

"I understand. I should actually be probably apologizing also. I have been slightly…harsh with you. Returning has also affected my behavior."

"I didn't say anything about apologizing."

"Of course you weren't."

"Remember when we were on this planet last time and we would stare at the stars every night together, hoping for an escape of some kind?"

"We were very different back then."

"No kidding."

--

"Are you sure about this?" Padme objected as the foreigners were about to enter Watto's shop the next morning. "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The queen will not approve."

"The queen doesn't need to know," Qui-Gon countered, walking into the building, followed by Elaina while the others, including Kelly, stayed outside as the girl pouted, "Well I don't approve."

"Oh relax, Padme," the Jedi chided, casually sideways-sitting opposite the maid on the three-foot wall which was constructed on either side of the doorway, lifting her right foot to rest beside her, letting her left leg hang off the edge, and leaning her head against the structure's side. Padme looked shocked at Kelly-Fyn's calm and tomboyish attitude. "What? Oh yes, I see. You're wondering why my sister and I are so not alike. You'll get used to it eventually."

"How can you just sit there when the queen, the woman you're supposed to protect, is coming closer to being discovered the longer she stays here?"

"You know that each time you mention the woman you serve, the more risk you take in doing exactly what you're worrying about?" At that moment, Qui-Gon and Elaina reemerged from the shop, the former looking a bit more satisfied than the latter. "What happened, sis?"

"I seems that we made a deal," the other sixteen-year-old half-growled as she stalked after the man back towards Anakin's home. Halfway there, Elaina broke from the group, waving off Qui-Gon's look of confusion. Kelly-Fyn quickly followed her twin to the edge of the town. Once behind one of the farthest shops, the older girl turned around to face her sister, who was quite curious at that point.

"Kelly, I think that one of us should go back to the ship. Padme may be a pain to deal with, but she is right about the queen being in danger. Remember the boulder in the pond we were talking about a little while ago? Well, that boulder is floating towards us."

"I understand," Kelly-Fyn pondered, fingering the necklace she had acquired on Tatooine the last time. "You are more capable with the Force and I promised Anakin that I would help him tune up his racer, so you should go."

"Technically, we are equal in potential…you are just always too busy either dueling or coming up with some new, fancy gun." Then, Elaina caught sight of her sister's twiddling, beginning to twirl her own memento: a simple, dull metal ring on her right ring finger. "…you miss having a family, do you not?" Kelly-Fyn took her time in answering.

"It's just…sometimes I feel that we made the wrong decision in leaving here. However broken the family was that we claimed as our own, that family still cared for us…and however few friends we may have had, those few friends cared for us more than anything."

"Mind your feelings, Kelly. You would have learned that better if you had spent more time under Yoda. Even paying more attention to your trainer may have made you more…intuitive."

"Perhaps you're the one who should consider training a padawan, Elaina. You need to get that leader in you rubbed off. Just go."

Softly chuckling, the Jedi went their separate ways, Elaina to the ship and Kelly-Fyn to where Anakin's almost-finished pod was sitting. Anakin, Padme, Jar-Jar, and R2 were already at work.

(Qui-Gon)

As he switched off the com link, the Jedi noticed Shmi's approach from behind.

"You should be proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward."

"He knows nothing of greed," was the soft reply.

"He has special powers. He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait."

"He deserves better than a slave's life."

"The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear. Elaina was the one who first noticed it. She and her sister are also particularly strong in that respect; although, from what I've heard, Elaina puts that trait to use more than Kelly-Fyn….Who was his father?"

"It was as if there was no father. I carried him, I gave birth to him, I raised him…I would think that it was unnecessary to explain. Can you help him?"

"I'm afraid not. Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him early and he would have become a Jedi, no doubt. But it's too late for him now. He's too old."

"What of the other two Jedi? Do you know where they came from?"

"There is something familiar about them, but I can't pinpoint it other than having heard of them. Their true identities have been kept a treasured secret by the Jedi Council since six years ago. I never heard of them before then."

"So, there may be a chance for Anakin?"

"Perhaps," the man stated before making his way to the pod where the boy was just preparing for a test fire. "Here, use this power charge," he offered, handing a small battery to Anakin.

"Yes, sir!"

As everyone backed away, Qui-Gon caught sight of the younger Jedi.

"Kelly-Fyn, where is your sister?"

"She felt that the queen needed a bit more protection," was the careless reply.

--

That night, Kelly-Fyn was leaning against the hut on the porch with her eyes closed while Qui-Gon cleaned a small cut on the arm of Anakin, who was sitting on the railing, looking at the stars.

"Sit still, Annie," the man ordered. "Let me clean this cut."

"There are so many!" the boy exclaimed, referring to the stars. "Do they all have a system of planets?"

"Most of them."

"Has anyone been to them all?"

"Not likely."

"I want to be the first one to see them all…ouch!" he cried in alarm.

"There, good as new…"

"Annie, time for bed!" Shmi called from inside the house.

"What are you doing?" Anakin queried as Qui-Gon put a chip containing a bit of the boy's blood into the com link.

"Checking your blood for infections," the Jedi answered as Shmi again called,

"Annie! I'm not going to tell you again!"

"Go on, you have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight."

"You know, if I were a simple bystander, I would say that you have more connections with that boy than you're letting on," Kelly-Fyn suddenly said, walking over to stand beside the man.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Who can sleep through all of your chattering? I like puzzles and you happen to be one."

"I'm not the only puzzle."

"Relax. The Council has been keeping my sister and me a secret since we became padawans."

Giving up, Qui-Gon turned the com link on.

"Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master," came the reply.

"Make an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you."

"Wait a minute…"

"I need a midi-chlorian count. By the way, is Elaina with you?"

"Isn't she there with you?"

"No, she left this morning to return to the ship…something about the queen needing more protection."

"Hmm, that's strange. Oh, all right, I've got it."

"What are your readings?"

"Something must be wrong with the transmission."

"Here's a signal check." Since Obi-Wan had pointed out Elaina's disappearance, Kelly had stared intently at the man next to her, clearly worried. The truth was that Qui-Gon was rather concerned himself.

"Strange…the transmission seems to be in good order, but the readings are off the chart: over twenty thousand."

"That's it then."

"Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!"

"No Jedi has."

"What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure." As he warily looked around, the Jedi spotted Shmi in the doorway watching him. While she quickly walked back inside, Qui-Gon pondered how she hadn't changed since his last visit to the planet. Suddenly, Obi-Wan's voice disrupted his thoughts.

(Obi-Wan)

"Master," the man whispered into the com link, "someone is opening the ship's entrance from the outside." Sensing a presence behind him, the padawan leapt up with his lightsaber drawn. The hooded person standing in the doorway simply lifted a hand, causing Obi-Wan's weapon to fly out of his own and into the newcomer's grasp.

"It would do you no good to kill me, you know," Elaina stated as she pushed her hood back. Her hair had come out of its tie and it collapsed about her shoulders like a waterfall as it was released from the hood. "Next time, try sensing the intentions of the person you have yet to see. We have a problem."

"We have a lot of problems, so do you care to specify?"

"Alright, we have company."

"What sort of company?" Qui-Gon suddenly asked over the com. He had been forgotten in all the excitement.

"It will take a little while to explain. Now, if the watchdog would let me have a seat…" Obi-Wan got the message, sitting back down in the pilot seat and catching his lightsaber as the girl sat across from him in the co-pilot chair. "When I left Mos Espa, I decided to do a bit of scouting to make sure that we hadn't been followed by anyone in the Trade Federation. As you can imagine, it takes a while to properly do such a thing here, which is why I have been gone for so long. About two hours ago, a ship landed in the far reaches of the outskirts and a black-cloaked figure emerged from it. He, she, or it then sent about three floating machines of some sort out towards the town. Although I can't be sure, I think their purpose is to scout out the port. My guess: to find the queen. Unfortunately, the…thing saw me. It was able to use the Force."

"How do you know?"

"Because I had to use countermeasures in order to not be pinned to the ground and suffocated…that included running at full tilt after causing an explosion in the ship for distraction. I made sure to go in a roundabout way. Even when I did head in this direction, I erased any evidence of my passing."

"What do you suggest?" Obi-Wan was shocked. His master was asking a sixteen-year-old girl for advice?

"Well, we need the parts and the podrace is tomorrow. We should have time to take care of that before we have any unwanted company." After switching the com link off, the padawan turned to Elaina.

"Who are you?"

"Save those questions for later. I'm tired."

Thanks for reading! Please review!

I know, I changed the Qui-Gon/Shmi conversation a bit, but I never liked the idea of Anakin not having a father. Also, if some of the other original lines are messed up a bit…the script I'm using as a reference isn't exactly the most accurate, so I am forced to guess some of the things that need correcting.


	5. Flirting, Reminiscing, and a Victory

Thanks kit9888 for your review!

Flirting, Reminiscing, and a Victory

(Elaina)

The girl stood just outside the ship, watching the suns rise, as she sensed Obi-Wan's approach.

"You're up early," the man noted, standing next to the Jedi.

"Yes, well that co-pilot chair isn't the most comfortable place to sleep…besides, I wanted to see the sunrise. I have not had the chance for years."

"You've been here before?"

"Long ago…and in that time I was here, there were only two things that I loved about it: the stars and the suns…watching them every evening and morning…and wishing I could freely travel among them…away from here."

"What about your sister?"

"She eventually also grew fond of those things, but I think her regrets were more for leaving the fa…friends we had."

"What about your family?"

"What? Are you trying to get me to admit that I left family so that you can have me and my sister kicked out of the Jedi order? I don't think so! You can just toss aside your ego right now because I have a low tolerance for such things."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend."

"Apology accepted."

"Do you think that newcomer is really here because of the queen? If so, what makes you think that?"

"You have many questions for someone in your position. Consider waiting until Kelly and I are prepared to reveal such things." At that, Elaina walked back into the ship and towards the queen's quarters. She didn't even bother ringing as she simply opened the door with the Force and closed it behind her, leaning against the inside wall. If she was going to tolerate protecting this monarch, manners were going to be limited. Though the room was dark, Elaina could decipher the queen's figure gracefully stretched out on the soft bed.

-Still formal even in her sleep. Speaking of sleep, she's sleeping in. It couldn't be very early by now-

(Kelly-Fyn)

"You won the small toss, outlander," Watto growled after Qui-Gon had made a bet to win Anakin in case of their success in the race and gained the chance, "but you won't win the race, so…it makes little difference."

Kelly-Fyn noticed one of the mechanics nearby staring at her…winking persistently at her, to be exact.

"You should consider taking care of that," Qui-Gon suggested, nodding towards the mechanic as their friends approached. Mentally snarling, the girl walked over to Anakin's pod and half-pretended to check the engines. As predicted, the man casually walked towards his regretting target. When he reached the ten-foot point, Kelly noticed that he had black hair, green eyes, and a dark complexion with black clothes that did not match the usual description of a mechanic with their high quality.

"What may a fine creature such as you be doing in such a vile place as this?" he asked with a rich, somewhat deep voice as he approached the Jedi. His accent in today's world and this galaxy could have been easily paralleled with the British.

"I might be asking the same of you; however, without the fine part…handsome, perhaps," Kelly replied, beginning to head towards the arena. She couldn't help but look back at the stalker. He was actually rather good-looking. Kelly-Fyn's thoughts were broken as she nearly ran into the doorway leading to the field before she was able to quickly trot to the viewing platform reserved for her and her friends. She was rather wishing for Elaina's presence as the older twin would have made it easier for the brunette to brush this follower off. The Jedi laughed to herself as she decided to play the vulnerable damsel for once and leaned against the inside of the platform, allowing her dark hair to freely blow in the light breeze, soon followed by the man.

"You are here for the human boy? I doubt that he will win. Perhaps you could come to box over to the left: Sebulba's…that's the winner's box. You deserve more than to support a petty slave."

Fire glinted in the depths of Kelly-Fyn's eyes, but she contained her anger behind a forced smile.

"I beg to differ. If you support Sebulba, that worm-ridden sorry excuse for winner, then you are even more clueless than the last man who courted me…although, you have a better chance of coming out of it unscathed than he did since my sister isn't here."

"Well then, I'll make sure to stay clear of her." He clearly realized that he had just backed himself into a corner and proceeded to backtrack. "Oh, where are my manners? Aaron Locksley at your service, Miss." When the girl did not instantly respond, he coaxed, "and you are…?"

"Kelly…you may call me Kelly."

~He has no reason to need my full name. What if he's here for the Federation and he knows my identity? Well, there's one way to find out…~

"Kelly…meaning strife. It's actually quite fitting." When the woman snapped her head to face him, he went on the defensive. "Well…if what I can gather from your reactions is accurate, you have had many men woo you. You can only love so many, so you cause strife for those you reject." This guy was good.

"Aaron: meaning one of light…not exactly fitting with your dark complexion."

"A delightful sense of humor as well…" Aaron was cut off as the announcers began loudly chattering and the rest of Kelly-Fyn's entourage entered the platform. Ignoring Qui-Gon's look of concerned curiosity, she used the Force to keep Aaron from leaving. He got himself into the situation. Now, she was going to have some fun. Meanwhile, Padme was arguing with Qui-Gon. Once Jabba the Hutt was introduced, the viewing boxes were raised, and the man beside Kelly was satisfactorily failing in smothering his panic, the race began.

(Elaina)

An hour had passed and the queen was just rolling over in her bed. The woman humorously shot up into a sitting position upon seeing Elaina.

"What are you doing here?" she asked harshly before composing herself. "I thought you were in the town."

"You are not the queen are you?" the Jedi queried in turn, slightly stunning the other girl. "Padme is the real queen, is she not? You are just a decoy. It seems that I judged her a bit quickly for a stuck up politician like every other. Of course, don't tell her I said that, for it does not mean that I actually like her."

"What makes you think…?"

"Padme's last name: Naberrie…I thought it sounded familiar, but could not then make the connection."

"If you know, then why are you here? If someone else made the connection…"

"Don't worry so much! One of the reasons I came here was for the purpose of making it seem even more obvious that you are the real queen. Trust me, no one will find out until a time of the queen's choosing."

"I suppose I owe you thanks…"

"It is nothing. Now, I will be outside if you need me." At that, the Jedi exited the room and strolled to the cockpit where Obi-Wan was sitting, staring at the com link.

-Kelly was right. He is handsome!-

Apparently, the padawan had been unaware of her presence as he jumped slightly when she took a seat across from him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that again, please!"

"You know, Obi-Wan, that there is such a thing as being too focused."

"How did you and your sister become Jedi at such an early age?"

"The best trainers and some extra talent…if you are trying to find my secrets, you can simply ask…if they are the right questions."

"Alright, how did you pass the trials so young?"

"Since I was more practiced with the Force, I advised Kelly in that department. She did the same for me with the lightsaber. It had nothing to do with talent. We simply were more interested in different things. In the end, it worked out quite well…just do not rely fully on either technique. Use your knowledge when the time comes." Leaning back in the chair, she felt memories creep to the foreground. "When Kelly and I were separated for part of our training, we would take every chance to write to each other. I remember when she wrote that she missed our 'stocking trips', with o-c-k instead of a-l-k…when I corrected her grammar, she said that she made the change on purpose, because, every time we would go to follow one of the padawans around, we would giggle and argue. Kelly said that we were stocking up on our not-so-nice side. It was actually quite true since we always had to have best behavior for the classes and training sessions. Ever since we became Knights, we have been practically inseparable."

"Normally, siblings can't wait to get away from each other."

"Not for us…when we lived here, I stuck up for her and she did the same for me. Separated, it wasn't the same."

"Then why are you here right now?"

"…I really don't know," the girl stated before getting up and walking out.

-Alright, I admit that it wasn't completely the truth…although, I do not really know why…oh, I am just confusing myself more! He is a padawan, you are a Jedi, give it up!-

--

(An hour later)

(Kelly-Fyn)

Sebulba's damaged pod went sliding across the sand as Anakin flew to victory. As the announcers raved and the crowd went wild, the young woman cut off the flow of the Force which had been aiding the little slave with his damaged engines and turned to Aaron with a cocky grin.

"Who's the winner, now?"

"It seems that you are both beautiful and brilliant!" the tall man only six inches away from Kelly exclaimed, clearly having gotten over his trapped situation from the beginning of the race. As the platform lowered, the Jedi settled to ignoring her follower, still trying to decipher his true intentions. After seeing Anakin being surrounded by the still-cheering crowd, Kelly-Fyn followed Qui-Gon up the stairs to the top boxes, cringing as she sensed one of the minuscule parts the boy's pod explode, as if in protest against the small help she had given.

"You! You swindled me!" the Toydarion was complaining to the other Jedi. "You knew the boy was going to win! Somehow you knew it! Both of you did! I lost everything."

Smiling, the man simply replied,

"Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose. Bring the parts to the main hanger. I'll come by your shop later so you can release the boy."

"You can't have him! It wasn't a fair bet!"

"Would you like to discuss it with the Hutts? I'm sure they can settle this."

"Take him." As they began to walk away, Watto added, "I have an offer for you, Kelly, if you want to talk deals…you and your sister were always my best slaves."

Using the Force to pin Watto against the wall, the girl hissed,

"What makes you think that we would even consider suffering under that grating voice of yours after being free from it for so long? The only reason I don't kill you where you…flutter is because Elaina would only see it as pointless bloodshed."

"I…I always did find your straightforward attitude a bit, uh, taxing," the alien nervously said as the Jedi stalked out after her friend towards the nearly empty main hanger. By the time Kelly-Fyn reached the little hero, his mother had finished smothering him with kisses and was walking out of the building.

"I'll meet you at Anakin's home, Qui-Gon. There is a matter that I need to take care of and it will not wait." All the man did was grunt in agreement while the girl strolled towards the edge of the town, closely followed by none other than Aaron Locksley. Rounding a sharp corner, she put her lightsaber to the throat of the unsuspecting stalker. "So, Aaron…or should I just call you Darrell: Darrell Finchman, the notorious bounty hunter? You know, you being so popular and all, I would think that you would at least be smart enough to carry a weapon. Just because I'm a woman does not mean that I'm not dangerous. I have to admit, you are rather handsome, but there was not even a second when I fell for your little act." Pushing him into the alley, putting away her lightsaber, and pulling out her gun, Kelly-Fyn concluded, "Well, Aaron, this is where our paths split. Farewell." At that, she began shooting at the man's feet, causing him to jump around and eventually race off. "…and you're a rather good dancer," the girl sarcastically stated, blowing at the tip of the pistol before also holstering it.

"What?!" Anakin was crying out when the Jedi finally meandered her way into the hut where the boy, Qui-Gon, and Shmi were talking a half an hour later.

"You're no longer a slave," the man pointed out lightheartedly.

"Did you hear that?"

"Now you can make your dreams come true, Annie. You're free," Shmi said matter-of-factly prior to turning to Qui-Gon. "Will you take him with you? Is he to become a Jedi?"

"Yes, our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident," was the answer.

"You mean I get to come with you in your starship?!" Anakin asked.

Before responding, the Jedi knelt down.

"Anakin, training to be a Jedi will not be an easy challenge. And, if you succeed, it's a hard life."

"But I want to go! It's what I've always dreamed of doing. Can I go, Mom?"

"Anakin," the older woman replied, taking her son's hand, "this path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone."

"I wanna do it."

"Then, pack your things," Qui-Gon finalized, sending Anakin running to his room. "We haven't much time."

"Yippee!" Then, he paused. "What about Mom? Is she free too?"

"I tried to free your mother, Annie, but Watto wouldn't have it."

"You're coming with us, aren't you, Mom?" That was a heartbreaker…enough of one, at least, to cause Kelly-Fyn to step outside and block her hearing from the rest of the conversation. She and her sister had not been gifted with the luxury of goodbyes the last time. She distinctly remembered sneaking out in the middle of the night to "borrow" a ship. A moment later, she removed the blocks and walked inside just in time to see the other Jedi with a hand on Shmi's shoulder.

"Will you be all right?"

"You're Anakin's father, aren't you?" the girl interrupted, to receive two startled looks from the couple. "…and Shmi's husband?" Bother phrases were more statements than questions, Kelly noticed as she addressed the other woman. "When I lived here, you lied to me. You said that…Anakin didn't have a father. Elaina was right! There were unusual similarities between the boy and Qui-Gon." Even though the man was about to speak, Kelly-Fyn went on. "I'm not angry, just a bit surprised. I understand. Qui-Gon ended up landing here for some reason years ago, Shmi gave him shelter, they fell in love…it's a little against the Jedi Code, but I'm assuming that's why you kept it a secret. Understandable." Anakin came running back from his room with a backpack before anyone could react to the Jedi's narrative and the trio walked out the door. Staying behind for a moment, the girl hugged Shmi, saying, "Take care of yourself, dear one, for I wouldn't know what to tell the boy if anything happened to you."

Suddenly, the child in question came running back his mother, who bent down to embrace him.

"I can't do it, Mom. I just can't do it."

"Annie…"

"Will I ever see you again?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

"I hope so…yes, I guess."

"Then we will see each other again."

Kelly-Fyn went to join Qui-Gon as Anakin made a promise to return for his mother.

"What made you guess that Shmi and I were married?" the other Jedi queried.

"The little things: how comfortable you were in the house, how you knew where everything was, how you spoke to Shmi, and a few other things," the girl replied as Anakin rejoined them and they traveled back towards the ship. Suddenly, both Jedi twirled around, lightsabers engaged. In front of them on the ground sat a small scouting droid; however, Kelly-Fyn was unfamiliar with its construction. "Run, Annie!"

(Elaina)

The girl raced out of the ship, nearly knocking Obi-Wan off his feet, and towards the settlement.

"What are you doing?!" the young man yelled after her. The rest of their entourage was running towards the craft at a full tilt run, Qui-Gon in front, followed by Kelly and lastly Anakin.

"Anakin, drop!" the older Jedi called as a speeder bike nearly ran the poor boy over. The cloaked figure Elaina had seen the night before flipped off of the transport and engaged her and Qui-Gon.

"Kelly, get Anakin to the ship and take off!" she told her sister prior to rejoining the fray she had temporarily ceased to fight in. This guy was good! Clearly, his lightsaber was made to have two ends, but, even using one, the foe was marvelously good at standing his ground against two Jedi. Her thoughts were interrupted as the man, creature, or whatever it was hurled her across the sand with the Force. "I told you he could use the Force," she yelled, "but did you listen to me? Of course not!" The great dance continued across the sand for several minutes until their ship began to take off and the duo was able to board the vessel, leaving the enemy standing in the desert, having failed his mission, whatever it was. As they collapsed on the floor, Obi-Wan and Anakin burst in, the latter asking,

"Are you all right?"

"I think so," the older man replied.

"What was it?" the padawan put in.

"I don't know…but he was well trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is he was after the queen."

"What are we going to do about it?" the boy further questioned.

"We should be patient. Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you." While Qui-Gon took great pleasure in watching the meeting, Elaina rose to her knees.

"Oh, thank you so much for asking how I am doing!" she exclaimed.

"Apologies," Obi-Wan stated, helping his master stand. "Are you alright?"

"Of course she's alright!" Kelly interrupted. "If she wasn't, she wouldn't be a Kalonya!"

"Kelly-Fyn, how did you sneak up like that?"

"Actually, my dear sister taught me the trick."

Thanks for reading! Please, please review! I know this took forever to come out, but my editor has been incredibly busy lately.


	6. What Disagreements Lead To

Thanks Kayla Tetavor and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

What Disagreements Lead To

Night had arrived as the craft flew towards Coruscant in hyperspace. Elaina and Qui-Gon were sitting in the cockpit. Since the ship was on automatic pilot, nearly everyone else was asleep and the compartment was left to the two Jedi, who had spent nearly an hour in silence.

"Do you really believe as I do that Anakin is the Chosen One?"

Normally, the girl would have jumped at her companion's sudden break of the quiet, but she had sensed his inclination to speak moments before.

"Both my sister and I believe it, but I was the first one to notice it. Normally, I would go straight to the Council and demand for him to be trained, but there is still a fact that we must deal with: he is too old."

"From the rumors I was able to snare about you, so were you and Kelly-Fyn."

"That was different. We were…we are…"

"Are what?"

"Never mind! My point is that the Council will never accept him as he is."

"And what is that?"

"Do you really want examples? He is afraid, out of his element, misses his mother, vengeful against the slavers…shall I go on? Even if he passes the test to begin with, he will never make it to become a Jedi. The Council would never allow someone so full of emotion to be put into that position of power."

"What would you know of it? The Council should not be so strict about the petty tail ends of the Code."

"I knew that you occasionally questioned the will of the Council, but I am surprised by this, Qui-Gon! If Anakin became a Jedi and his emotions overthrew him, then who would feel the guilt?"

"I would."

"No, the Council would, because they allowed it in the first place."

Both of the normally calm Jedi were still completely composed, kicked back in their chairs. The only anomaly was that they were glaring at each other. This went on for several minutes before Elaina stood and walked towards the door, pausing to say a few words to finalize the argument.

"Just because he is your child does not make him perfect, Qui-Gon. You, of all people, should know that."

(Kelly-Fyn)

The girl cracked her eyes open to see Padme sitting beside Anakin on the bench, talking. An hour before, she and the boy had sat down on opposite sides of the table bench to catch some sleep. Kelly-Fyn had gone out like a light, which was rather rare for her, so she was not very happy about being disturbed.

"I made this for you," Anakin was saying to the maid as he handed her a wooden pendant. "So you'd remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. It will bring you good fortune."

"It's beautiful," the younger girl said, "but I don't need this to remember you by. Many things will change when we reach the capital, Annie. My caring for you will always remain."

"I care for you too. Only I…"

"You miss your mother."

"Well, Annie," Kelly-Fyn interrupted, "you're not the only one who has gone through that. When I left Tatooine with my sister, I missed my family too."

Suddenly, Elaina came through the door and gruffly sat down in a chair across the room. A feeling of anger and frustration came in her wake, causing everyone else to respect the solemn silence as she leaned forward, put her elbows on her knees, and glared at the wall. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Kelly-Fyn was able to summon enough courage to speak.

"Aren't you the one always reminding me of the path to the Dark Side, dear sister?" She cringed as Elaina looked at her; however, when she made eye contact, she noticed that the glare had disappeared to be replaced by a look of indifference.

"And yet…who was the one that the Council was so concerned about turning to the Dark Side?"

"You just have to bring back those few bad memories of the past five years, don't you?"

"…yeah, I tend to be a bit more tense than usual when the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance."

"Sorry, didn't mean to ruin your moment."

"No, I am sorry, Kelly…I should not have to make you pay for Qui-Gon's stubbornness."

"Why do you call Kelly-Fyn…Kelly?" Padme suddenly broke in while Anakin looked on with great interest. With a twinkle of humor in her eyes, Elaina replied,

"Actually, Kelly is her real name. When we escaped Tatooine, she wanted to change her name. After we started those 'stocking' trips, Kelly made up her mind to change her name to Kelly-Fyn since it sounded more like Obi-Wan."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that," the subject growled.

"She also insisted on making our last name sound like Kenobi."

"You lived on Tatooine?" the little boy interrupted. "Where?"

"We were, in fact, slaves," Kelly stated as her sister fell silent with the last subject, "owned by none other than Watto the Toydarion. You wouldn't remember us because you were only four years old when we left."

"How did you get away? Did Watto free you?"

"I was able to invent a way to find the transmitters and turn them off."

"No," Elaina suddenly corrected, "you found them and dug them out. I distinctly remember having a gimpy arm for nearly two weeks after we reached Coruscant."

"Oh please, sis, give it up! The knife only went half an inch deeper…and it was because you jumped away from a stupid spider."

"Hey, it was a big spider! Besides, you were going too deep as it was. My jumping only made a millimeter's difference!"

"Siblings, please!" Padme cried all of a sudden. Anakin was trying to contain his giggles.

"What?"

"I can only imagine what it would be like if I had a sibling. We would probably argue all the time!" the boy replied.

"We don't argue. We tease. There's a big difference," Kelly-Fyn quoted lightheartedly.

--

"Coruscant," the pilot introduced the next morning as they came in sight of their destination; "…the entire planet is one big city." Elaina growled and Kelly-Fyn smiled contentedly as the greeting party on the landing platform came into view. "Look. There's Chancellor Valorum's shuttle. And look over there! Senator Palpatine is waiting for us."

(Elaina)

-Negotiating, I love. Politics, not so much. Politicians…just leave me in a room alone with them with a weapon and I'll…-

"Elaina!" her sister called. The others were already outside the cockpit, descending the ramp. "Come on!" Grumbling, the young Jedi trailed her twin in closely following Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan towards the waiting bureaucrats. Grudgingly, she bowed to Valorum, but absolutely refused to even look at Palpatine. Ever since she and her sister had arrived, he had been working disturbingly hard to win their favor. Kelly had taken to following the man around like a loyal puppy during her free time, while the older girl, on the other hand, avoided him with a passion. After bowing to the queen, Palpatine addressed her as the Jedi stepped aside.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, your Majesty. May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

"Welcome, your Highness," the older man stated with hardly any emotion. "It is an honor to finally meet you in person. I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation. I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position."

"I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor," the decoy responded, walking away with most of the retinue, not including Valorum or the Jedi.

"There is a question of procedure," the other politician said while walking, "but I feel confident we can overcome it." As Elaina, squinting her eyes at the man's retreating back until it disappeared, was thinking how he smiled too much, Qui-Gon spoke to the Chancellor.

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately, your Honor. The situation has become more complicated."

"Make that two things which have become more complicated, Chancellor," the older sister added, uneasily glancing at the older man. "I have a few things I must also discuss with a certain member of the Council."

As the girls sat together, apart from everyone else, on their transport, Kelly asked,

"Why must you always be so…unreceptive towards Palpatine? And…what do you have that's so important to have the need to speak to the Council about it."

"I have the feeling that you well know, dear sister." The girl deliberately avoided looking at Qui-Gon. She sensed that he was equally adamant about standing his ground on his position in regards to Anakin's training and was not about to give way on her end. "So, Kelly, would you like to grab a decent lunch before following these gentlemen into the temple?"

"Why, you haven't come up with an idea that good for nearly a month!"

--

Half an hour later, the twins were standing at the Council room entrance. Once they were admitted, they took places slightly to the side and out of the way of the conversation.

"…my only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord," Qui-Gon was finishing.

"Impossible!" Ki-Adi-Mundi, the Jedi Master with two brains, exclaimed. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."

"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing," Mace Windu reciprocated.

"Ah, hard to see, the dark side is," Yoda corrected.

"We will use all our resources here to unravel this mystery. We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you."

"Master Qui-Gon, more to say, have you?" the little green Jedi queried when the Knight didn't leave.

"With your permission, my Master, I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence, you say?"

"Located around…a person?" Windu put in.

"A boy," the man in the middle of the room affirmed. "His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a life form."

"You refer to the prophesy of the one who will bring balance to the Force…you believe it's this boy?"

"I don't presume…"

"But you do!" Yoda corrected. "Revealed your opinion is."

"I request the boy be tested."

"Trained as a Jedi, you request for him?"

"Finding him was the will of the Force…I have no doubt of that."

Bring him before us, then," Windu finalized, allowing the two men to leave. The girls followed in suite.

"I thought you had something to discuss with them," Kelly whispered to her sister.

"I said that I needed to speak with a member of the Council. I said nothing about the Council itself," Elaina corrected as she purposefully let the other Jedi unknowingly leave in the transport to fetch Anakin without them. "Besides, I have the feeling that we need to be reunited with our dear Masters…speaking of which." Coyly turning around, she motioned to Masters Yoda and Windu walking some ways down the hall…actually, Yoda was on his floating chair.

"Sometime, sis, you're going to have to teach me that trick."

"What trick? Remember that many of the members of the Council often walked around the temple when they were not convening? You are not the only one who memorized someone's route." Upon approaching the two leaders, the girl addressed them, bowing. "Masters, it has been too long."

(Kelly-Fyn)

She couldn't understand. Elaina evidently had so much respect for these Jedi, and yet, she seemed to regret every movement of respect towards any politician.

"Elaina, Kelly-Fyn," the tall man greeted, nodding to each of the girls before a look of concern came across the face of Yoda as he spoke.

"Something troubles you, Elaina?"

"Perhaps I'll leave you two to catch up. Kelly, care to take a walk with your former Master?"

"Of course," the brunette replied, smoothly keeping up with her leader's slow, yet long, stride.

"I thought I told you to keep your sister from getting too deep into worry. It seems she's more concerned than ever."

"You'd think that she had been your padawan with that attitude."

"Are you calling me overly concerned?"

"Perhaps…"

"I'm actually quite surprised that you did not turn out to be like me as my past padawans have."

"I have my sister to do all the worrying for me."

"Even for her, though, she seems more…pensive, uptight, ready."

"I think she must have argued with Qui-Gon. I have no idea what it was about, though."

"Hm…does she believe that this boy Qui-Gon was talking about is the Chosen One?"

"Back on Tatooine, she pointed out that belief to me. At the time, I reciprocated that belief, but I'm not so sure now. We are supposedly able to sense who the Chosen One is because our fates are wrapped so tightly together, but shouldn't it be a little easier?"

"Well, then I think we just unraveled the mystery of your sister's trouble without even talking to her. It seems that some of the intense training I put you through actually was not for nothing."

"You insult me, Master. I'm in fact quite observant…at least when Elaina's not around to do it for me."

(Elaina)

"So, the boy should trained not be, Elaina? If what you are saying that is, then Master Qui-Gon's reason for making this request what is, hm?" Yoda queried as he floated down the nearly empty hall beside his still-troubled former student.

"I am not saying that he should not be trained, Master," the girl replied as she wrapped her robe tighter around herself and lifted her nearly waist-length hair out of it. When she was standing and not lying down in bushes somewhere, as on Aikhabba, it was shorter than bounty hunters of some hostile systems were told. "It's just that…should it not be easier for me to sense who the Chosen One is?"

The wise Jedi Master paused before finally answering.

"Your sister's rashness I am sensing in you, Elaina. Wrong to have you work together perhaps was I."

"No, Master, please! Kelly is the closest thing I have to not being utterly confused as to my purpose. I do not know what I would do if I was parted from her for too long. If something happened to her, I would never forgive myself."

"Clouded and grave are you futures if this choice you make, Elaina. Strong you must be."

"Yes, Master."

"In regards to your conflict with Master Qui-Gon, forgive him you must. If you do not, the path to the Dark Side will you begin."

"Thank you, Master."

"Wise will you become, my former padawan. Consider taking on a charge of your own you should."

(Obi-Wan)

As the padawan entered the transport Qui-Gon had directed to pick him up from the temple archives, he noticed his master and Anakin already seated and waiting for him.

"I apologize for my delay, Master," he stated as he sat across for the other two. "I actually found some interesting information in the archives."

"Yes, about that," the other man began, "what was so important that you had to run off like that to do it?"

"Sorry, Master, but I thought that, out of all places, I would find information about the Kalonya sisters there. They have been rather vague, in case you were too single-minded to notice it," Obi-Wan responded, ignoring the sharp look from Qui-Gon at the judgmental comment.

"Normally, such perusing would be out of place…but, since you already did it, what did you find?"

"Alright…they came here from Tatooine five years ago. No one, at least on the records, knows who their parents are. Because of their extremely high midi-chlorian count and because they somehow proved themselves, both were allowed to be trained…"

"How high, in exact terms, were their midi-chlorian counts?" the Master interrupted.

"Nearly as high as Anakin's. Anyway, as I was saying, Elaina was trained by Yoda, which is probably she seems to use the Force more due to her training, and Kelly-Fyn was taught by Mace Windu…probably the reason for her excessive use of the lightsaber."

"Interesting…that explains a few things. Anything else?"

"It was rather difficult to find, but yes, under a different topic. In reading about the sisters, I found a strange reference. When I followed the lead, I came upon the legends and prophecies of the Jedi order. Apparently, in every century throughout history, there has always been a person, usually a woman, with a higher-than-normal midi-chlorian count. They were called the Enduring Warriors, great negotiators and keepers of the peace. When they were discovered many millennia ago, the Jedi noticed how helpful they could be."

"Why were they called Enduring Warriors?"

"They always had longer lives than anyone recorded. They would reach a certain age and simply stop aging altogether. No one knew, however, whether or not they were immortal."

"Why not?"

"None of them lived longer than a century. Most did not even reach the age of thirty before they were killed in combat. Another interesting thing I discovered was that these Enduring Warriors were also discovered by the Sith. During their height of power, they had one of these legends in their grasp. Ever since then, it has been a struggle between the Dark Side and the Light to have an Enduring Warrior on their side. The strange thing is that there has not been one for nearly four centuries. In the prophecies, I found one of these Warriors…well, two actually. It said that, after none of these aids appeared for a great amount of time, two would appear: the last of their kind. They would be able to sense the identity of the Chosen One and their fates would be tightly linked. Whichever side gains control of these people will have the greater advantage."

"And it is believed that Elaina and Kelly-Fyn are these two Warriors?"

"Yes, but…"

The conversation was cut short as the transport arrived at the Jedi temple. The two subjects of the discussion were both waiting at the drop-off. Kelly-Fyn bore what appeared to be a smirk, while the older girl seemed more serious than ever with her arms crossed and her dark eyebrows furrowed.

"Is there something wrong, Elaina?"

"You are, Qui-Gon," was the impassive reply. While escorting Anakin to the Council, they all warily glanced at the young woman, whose face had become as unreadable as stone. It seemed that the moment of mental aggression had finally passed, to their relief; however, none of them dared to ruin her peace.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	7. In Denial

Thanks Katie Ladmoore for your review!

In Denial

"The boy will not pass the Council's tests, Master. He's too old," Obi-Wan complained as the four Jedi walked to one of the temple's balconies to watch the sunset.

"Anakin will become a Jedi, I promise you," Qui-Gon countered.

"Do not defy the Council, Master…not again."

"I will do what I must, Obi-Wan."

"If you would just follow the Code, you would be on the Council. They will not go along with you this time."

"You still have much to learn, my young apprentice."

"I agree with Obi-Wan," Elaina put in. The padawan noticed that both her eyes and those of her sister glowed in the evening sun as they stared at the horizon. He had to look twice at Kelly-Fyn. For a moment, it looked as if her eyes were changing color; however, when he looked back, they were once again their normal shade as the girl met his gaze and raised one of her dark, thin eyebrows.

"Do you find something interesting, Obi-Wan?" she queried as Qui-Gon spoke to Elaina.

"Your single-mindedness makes me wonder precisely who your parents were. Perhaps knowing that positively would answer a few questions."

"The day you discover who I am is the day I replace Yoda on the Council," the young woman replied with cold sarcasm.

"I actually do have a good idea."

"And what may that be?"

"I would not want to test your level of tolerance in guessing, even though I know I'm right."

"Wise choice."

"Would you two just lighten up a bit?" Kelly-Fyn cried. "You're making my head spin just listening!"

"What is the matter, dear sister? Can you not handle the bit of personality that has rubbed off from you?"

"Whatever…we should probably be heading back to the Council. They should be done testing Anakin by now."

At that, the two arguing Jedi walked towards the Council hall, refusing to look at each other, and leaving Obi-Wan and Kelly-Fyn still at the balcony.

"I thought you were supposedly the moody one," the apprentice stated.

"Years ago, on Tatooine, both Elaina and I were desperate to get off of that bit of dirt in the corner of this great galaxy, however, she may have hid it; but I have always suspected that she was even more determined than I…and I was practically going crazy being cooped up as a slave. Over the past few years, she taught herself to nearly forget our days in servitude since the memory of them caused her so much mental agony. I, on the other hand, clung to those memories. Returning to that planet brought back many recollections, pleasant for me, but haunting for her. Deep down, I think, she regrets leaving Shmi, but refuses to let it hurt her more."

"And you?"

"With Anakin about to be trained by the Jedi, I feel as if I have made up for leaving. Don't worry! In a few days, she'll once more be impassive and kind, and I'll be sarcastic and mean."

"That is supposed to be comforting?"

A few minutes later, they were standing in the middle of the Council chambers with Anakin.

"The Force is strong with him," Ki-Adi-Mundi stated.

"He is to be trained, then?" Qui-Gon queried. After a long pause, Windu replied,

"No, he will not be trained."

"No!?" both Qui-Gon and Kelly-Fyn exclaimed. Obi-Wan noticed that, like him, Elaina was satisfactorily trying to hide a smile. He could imagine her saying 'I told you so' later in the evening.

"He's too old."

"He is the Chosen One…you must see it!"

"Clouded, this boy's future is," Yoda hummed. Shocking everyone present, Qui-Gon stepped forward and put his hands on Anakin's shoulders.

"I will train him, then. I take Anakin as my padawan learner.

"An apprentice, you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible to take on a second."

"The Code forbids it," Windu agreed.

"Obi-Wan is ready," the Knight stated, queuing the padawan to step forward.

(Elaina)

Her jaw nearly dropped, although she kept herself composed. And here she thought Obi-Wan was on her side of the argument!

"I am ready to face the trials," he was saying.

"He is headstrong…and he has much to learn about the living Force, but he is capable. There is little more he will learn from me."

"Young Skywalker's fate will be decided later," Yoda stated

"Now is not the time for this," Windu pointed out. "The Senate is voting for a new Supreme Chancellor and Queen Amidala is returning home, which will put pressure on the Federation and could widen the confrontation."

"And draw out the Queen's attacker," Ki-Adi-Mundi added.

"Go with the Queen to Naboo and discover the identity of this dark warrior. This is the clue we need to unravel the mystery of the Sith."

On her way out of the room after her companions, Elaina shared a worried glance with Yoda. The path Qui-Gon was insisting on traveling was a dangerous one, even if Anakin was the Chosen One.

"Elaina," the green Jedi addressed her as the others not a part of the Council disappeared through the doorway, "not joking was I when suggesting that you teach a padawan yourself."

"We discussed it," Windu reciprocated, "and we all agree that you would be the perfect candidate for a Council member." Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the room while Elaina's eyes darted between Windu and Yoda with seemingly little surprise.

"Me?" she queried. "Why?"

"Yoda speaks very highly of you, as do we all from what we have seen and heard of in your performance here and in other parts of the galaxy," Ki-Adi-Mundi put in, "however we may not show it."

"We are close to ashamed to admit it," Windu further stated, "but there have been few of our number, padawans, Knights, or Masters, who are so as attuned to the Force as you as of late. Many Jedi are losing their resolve to rise to their potential. Not only that, but the coming of you and your sister is a sign that we must prepare for whatever may come. We can't afford to lose you…"

"To the Dark Side?" Elaina interrupted. "Do not worry, Masters. A dark day will it be, indeed, if I am even tempted by such evil. I know better than anyone that I occasionally question some of your actions, but I am also aware that, even if they are the wrong decisions, they are done with the best and most honest of intentions. Without you, I would have never realized what darkness threatens the peace our order has kept over the centuries. If you wish to discuss this further when I return, so be it. My only condition is that Kelly also be included in this offer." Silence reigned for some time.

"…we will discuss this later. For now, keep yourself and your sister safe. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Masters." As she stepped outside, the young woman instantly sensed her sister's presence hiding around the corner. "You, of all people, should know that concealing yourself from me does you no good."

"It's about time you showed up!" Kelly exclaimed, falling in to walk beside the older twin on their way to the transport. "You're lucky I didn't use the Force to listen in on that conversation! What were they jabbering about, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, I did a good chunk of the chattering."

"Honestly, that is a bit shocking…but, come on! What were they really bugging you about, now?"

"They want us to train padawans." An annoyingly long pause ensued.

"You mean they want you to train a padawan and you told them that I needed to be involved. Elaina, you should know that you don't have to stand up for me. I can take care of myself."

"Kelly, you are my little sister…"

"Only by a few minutes…"

"Let me reword that, then. You are the only thing that I have…"

"Just listen! I don't need your help! I can take care of myself!"

"I do not know what I would do if I lost you."

"I know. I'm sorry, Elaina. It's just…sometimes I get tired of being an 'Enduring Warrior'…ever since we were told that, you've hardly let me out of your sight."

"Well, how is this for a deal? If you are a bit more careful, I will ease up a bit."

"Deal."

Having resolved their problem, the sisters boarded the transport which would take them to the Queen's ship. By that time, the sun had slipped beyond the horizon and darkened the sky in night. Halfway to their destination, Elaina spoke up.

"I suppose I should apologize for my behavior lately."

"Don't worry, sis! We went back to Tatooine: your least favorite place in the galaxy and brought a human memento back with us. You have every right to be stressed."

"Thank you."

By the time they reached the ship, Obi-Wan could be seen gruffly boarding the craft, an air of frustration emanating from him, as Qui-Gon was bending down to speak with Anakin. After watching her twin enter the vessel after the padawan, Elaina walked over to where the other Jedi was.

"I don't understand," the little boy was stating as the man once again stood.

"With time and training, Annie, you will." The girl's intention had been to apologize to Qui-Gon for being so argumentative; however, he did not give her the chance as he instantly turned to meet the Queen and her escort, which had just arrived. "Your Majesty, it is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you."

"I welcome your help," the fancily-dressed monarch replied as she made her way to the boarding ramp. "Senator Palpatine fears the Federation means to destroy me."

"I assure you, I will not let that happen."

"Wesa goen home!" Jar-Jar cried before entering the craft himself. Elaina paused halfway up the incline and looked back. A feeling of foreboding enveloped them, as if the very air was a creature ready to take its next victim…and she could only hope that it was not directed at their party.

--

(Kelly-Fyn)

The dark brunette walked through the narrow corridors of the starship, exhausted from the discussion she had taken part in with the Queen, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and the rest of the Queen's escort in the throne room. They had been debating about intentions and tactics, something in which Elaina was a bit more efficient. Unfortunately, the older twin had been unseen by anyone since their take-off, which was several hours past, which actually rather concerned Kelly-Fyn. After several minutes of aimlessly wandering around, she came upon the ship's exit. It was the most open and clear area in the inside of the entire ship, being approximately ten by ten feet in diameter with no obstructions within the space. Interestingly, the person she had been searching for was sitting against the closed exit ramp, her head leaned back, eyes closed, and legs crossed, apparently asleep. As the younger girl sat down as well, Elaina spoke, the edge in her voice completely gone and her normal, lazy outward appearance returned.

"How were the deliberations? I sensed extreme tension coming from that room."

"You knew the discussion was going on and you didn't get me out of it?!"

"I had to prove to you somehow that my uptight behavior from Tatooine was gone. A practical joke was the perfect way. You should have no objection. After all, I learned from you."

"Why is it you seem too comfortable?"

"I was just contemplating our past actions so far, thinking of our next steps, discovering a new way to kill with the Force, and trying to decipher what our new problem is."

"All that in a few hours, eh?" There was a small pause as Elaina opened her eyes for the first time since Kelly-Fyn had arrived and looked at her twin with a slight smile. "Alright, spit it out. You got my attention with killing with the Force."

"It is nothing big, but probably enough to add to our already many advantages. I discovered a blood vessel in the human body. It is small and seemingly insignificant, but, if cut off for long enough, it will put an attacker to sleep…and, I believe, eventually kill him."

"How did you find this out?"

"While you were deliberating, I reached out with my mind and studied the veins within your body. Experimentally, I cut off the circulation of one vessel…that is why you are feeling a bit tired."

"You didn't!"

"I did."

With half-humorous fury, the taller girl partially stood and tackled Elaina, grabbing her long hair for leverage while the older young woman reached her hand around and effectively tripped Kelly. Before the attacker could do anything after practically landing on top of her sister, Elaina swiveled around and used the Force to pin her against the wall. With hair draped every which way, but no other visible signs of the fray, she approached her panting sibling and stated,

"Shall we continue this pointless quarrel, or shall we act like Jedi and wisely forget the matter?"

"You could have killed me!"

"You hurt my feelings, Kelly. I would never hurt you…and I hope that you can say the same."

"Excuse me?" Captain Panaka queried suddenly, causing both girls to whip their heads around. As Kelly-Fyn dropped to the ground, Elaina, while calmly smoothing her frizzed hair, casually replied,

"What is it, Captain?"

"Qui-Gon wanted me to tell you that we are approaching Naboo."

"Thank you, Captain. Shall we?"

After standing, the other girl answered,

"We shall."

Thanks for reading! Please review! Some of you may wish to wait until I have more firmly established Elaina and Kelly-Fyn's characters, but I have a new poll on my profile as to which of them is your favorite.

I know this was short, but…well, I actually don't have a good excuse for that! Apologies for the delay!


	8. No Attachments

So sad…no reviews…

No Attachments

The twins slowly walked arm in arm to the cockpit. Panaka, who had raced ahead of them, was noting,

"The blockade's gone."

Kelly-Fyn was slightly confused as Elaina stiffened and led the younger girl back the way they had come. Looking behind her, she saw Qui-Gon enter the cockpit as her sister continued to drag her back towards the exit. Digging her heels into the floor, Kelly proceeded to cut her sister off from the Force and pin her against the wall with one arm.

"Kelly, what are you doing?" Elaina hissed, making no real effort to free herself.

"What is bothering you, sis? Usually, I'm the one worrying everyone and you're giving the explanations. Lately, however, you have been acting…well…weird! You haven't acted this strange since we left Tatooine years ago! What. Is. Going. On? I thought you were over this whole 'being back' thing." Elaina went limp against the wall and sank to the floor. Knowing that the older girl was about to give an explanation, Kelly-Fyn joined her, ignoring the jolts of the ship entering Naboo's atmosphere.

"Before you went into the Queen's quarters for the whole planning thing, I had an encounter with Qui-Gon, again. He is simply adamant about having Anakin trained as a padawan, no matter what the Council commands. He is just as wool-headed as…as…"

"Me?"

"I would have never said that."

"Yes, you would. You can't be that nice after being around me your whole life."

"Alright, maybe that is what I was thinking."

"I thought so. Anyway, was that all you argued about?"

"No…the Council's decisions and intentions in general…he seems to believe that a good percentage of what they do is wrong in some way, shape, or form."

"You two definitely seem to clash."

"Yes. I am glad that I did not have to deal with it my entire life, otherwise, I would probably be marked as insane."

"Ha! Well, at least you still have that grating sense of humor!"

"Indeed."

Moods mended, the girls arose by grabbing each other's wrists and bracing themselves against one another, using the opposing weight to easily stand, as if in a practiced dance. Embracing her twin, the dark brunette humorously queried,

"What would you do without me?"

"I might be asking the same thing."

By the time they reached the still-closed exit ramp, the young women were once again arm-in-arm, giggling.

"What is this about?" Qui-Gon questioned as he straightened from leaning against the side of the hallway. "Don't you owe me an apology, Elaina?"

Kelly-Fyn did not feel very worried as her sister instantly stopped laughing and went to stand directly in front of the man. She looked like a mouse having a staring contest against a cat with the way the older Jedi towered over her, blue eyes versus blue eyes. Obi-Wan had come around the corner, saying,

"Well, Master, we are just…" He then cut short, stopping in his tracks beside Kelly. "Might I ask what is going on?"

Ignoring the apprentice's interruption, Elaina replied to Qui-Gon's question. Though her face was familiarly impassive, her voice possessed a deadly quality.

"You are the one who should be apologizing, Qui-Gon…to the Council. I am surprised that they have not expelled you from the Jedi order with your rebellious nature, like that of an unruly child. If it was not for your massive height, people would believe me to be the leader of our little convoy."

"Kelly-Fyn," Obi-Wan warily whispered, "is the light playing tricks with her hair, or is part of it changing…never mind." Indeed, a segment of Elaina's hair had appeared to change color; however, it instantly disappeared as the owner settled to once again glaring at Qui-Gon. Everyone instantly switched their attentions as the Queen and her escort appeared from around the other corner as the craft landed.

"Is something wrong?" the monarch asked.

"Nothing at all, your Majesty," the older man excused.

Less than half an hour later, the Jedi were standing in a small circle some ways from the ship while the crew worked in unloading and other such manual labors.

"Jar-Jar is on his way to the Gungan city, Master," Obi-Wan reported.

"Good," Qui-Gon replied absentmindedly, ignoring Elaina as she stalked away somewhere. Although her sister almost always hid her emotions, Kelly-Fyn could tell that the older girl was troubled. Elaina had never appreciated situations out of her control, unwinnable arguments included.

"Do you think the Queen's idea will work?"

"The Gungans will not easily be swayed, and we cannot use our power to help her."

"I…I'm sorry for my behavior, Master. It is not my place to disagree with you about the boy…and I am grateful you think I am ready for the trials."

"You have been a good apprentice Obi-Wan…and you are a much wiser man than I am. I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight."

"Elaina actually gave me a bit of good advice for the trials."

"And what was that?"

"To not completely rely on either the Force or the lightsaber." A long pause ensued before the Knight responded.

"Elaina Kalonya has much to learn, however the Council may approve of her."

"What do you think, Kelly-Fyn? Kelly?"

The girl jerkily looked at the padawan. Even she had not realized that she had been dazedly gazing at the trees some ways in front of her.

"Um," she stuttered prior to finding her tongue, "my sister is wise beyond her years, more prudent than me, and, by far, more attuned with the Force. She's unfortunately taken to being extremely protective of me since we left Tatooine. To tell you the truth, she saved my life then."

"Really? How?"

"The key part of our plan was to commandeer one of the larger vessels in the town port. Sadly, the pilot of the ship and his crew discovered our plot just as we were about to take off…well, in my defense, I was the one actually flying the ship. Anyway, the men snuck up on us, grabbed me, and held a gun to my head. Elaina, who had been removing the homing device, didn't realize the situation until they were threatening to kill me unless she gave up her weapon: a green lightsaber."

"How did she come upon that?"

"When we were seven, Anakin's father 'accidentally' left it behind. We took turns in training ourselves with it, and Elaina happened to have it that day. Continuing…I don't know how she did it, but she somehow managed to slip into their midst, hurl me out of the way, and draw the lightsaber before the men were able to do anything. When I later asked Elaina about it, she seemed just as shocked as me that she was able to use her good arm in killing all five of the crew before they could do anything. I'll never forget how stunned she looked as I approached her: covered in their blood, eyes aimlessly looking about, her right hand, with the lightsaber, limp at her side, while her left was held close to her body."

"But…I don't understand. How did she come to be injured in the first place?"

"Apparently, you weren't paying attention when she told you of the incident of me digging the tracking device out of her. She rarely let me out of her sight ever since."

"It seems a bit obsessive."

"Yes, well whenever I think that, I just look in mirror." At that, she flipped the shoulder-length hair away from neck to reveal a round, inch-wide scar. "This is what the man who was holding me hostage was able to get away with before Elaina attacked. The gun went off accidentally just as she grabbed me. I think she blames herself, but…" Kelly-Fyn cut short as all three of them noticed the girl in question suddenly in their midst.

"Did I miss something?" she queried cheekily prior to heading towards the Gungan lake. "Enough gossip! Let's do what we came here to do."

"Does she always do that?" Obi-Wan whispered as they followed the other young Jedi.

"Do what?" Kelly asked.

"Sneak up like that without anyone noticing at first…"

"…yeah."

"Dare-sa nobody dare," Jar-Jar exclaimed, coming out of the swamp pond. "Da Gungan city is deserted. Some kinda fight mesa tinks."

"Do you think they have been taken to camps?" the padawan generally inquired.

"More likely they were wiped out," the Panaka opinionated.

"Mesa no tink so."

"Do you know where they are?" Qui-Gon put in.

"When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you. Come on, mesa show you!"

--

(Elaina)

-Before I know it, my little sister is going to have revealed every single secret we have kept over the years!-

The girl had purposefully held back from the rest of the group as they went to beg an alliance from the Gungans. Her presence would have no effect in adding to their effort, so there was no reason for her to leave the ship. Kelly had charitably stayed behind, even though she wanted to go with the others (pointed sarcasm included). They were leaning against a stack of unloaded boxes near the ship as Elaina queried,

"When are things going to be normal again?"

"If you mean normal as in near-death missions and me trying to get you killed, then…I have no idea."

"You sure?"

"See, this is why I can't wait either until things are back to 'normal'. I can't stand being the calm one!"

"You and me both…"

"Is it just me, or have things become extremely boring since we paired up with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan? You'd think that I'd be thrilled to hang around the guy I followed around the temple since we became padawans."

"Well, since your definition of boring is not being able to constantly beat up one of our enemies, then yes, things have been boring."

"I know I'm changing the subject rather quickly, but it isn't like you to prolong disagreements like this, Elaina…at least, not this long! I sympathize with you, I really do…but isn't it a bit ridiculous to hold a grudge against Qui-Gon like this?"

"I…well…you're right, Kelly; however, I doubt that I will have the chance to confront him before this is over."

"You had enough time to get into it," the younger girl grumbled.

"I heard that!" Their conversation would have gone on for hours more, but it was interrupted by the return of their party, plus a group of Gungans, including the boss. "I take you were successful, Qui-Gon?" The Knight only grunted in response before turning to Kelly, to Elaina's great distress, leaving her to stand beside Obi-Wan as the leader addressed her sister.

"It turns out that the handmaiden who came with us on Tatooine…"

"Padme," Kelly interrupted.

"Yes, anyway…it turns out that she is the queen." Neither of the girls, to Elaina's great pleasure, displayed any sign of surprise. "You knew?!"

"Yes, I guessed as much. Padme was too…proper and opinionating for a simple handmaiden."

"It's just as well. Come, we have much planning to do." At that, her companions moved to where the others were at the edge of the forest, leaving Elaina to stare at Qui-Gon's retreating back.

It was unbelievable! He was actually avoiding looking at her.

-Of all the dirty, good-for-nothing…-

"Elaina?" the voice of Padme queried, interrupting the rather colorful name she was giving Qui-Gon.

"Yes, your Majesty," the Jedi responded, grudgingly letting the title slip past her lips. The only people she easily showed respect to were the Jedi Masters of the Council. The queen actually looked half human in her handmaid's costume.

"I have a favor I would ask of you."

"You know that I am not one of your subjects that you can simply boss around."

"Yes, I was told that you guessed my true identity. Anyway, I was hoping that you could do a little scouting. It would make things so much easier for the plan I'm going to suggest if you did."

"My lady, I am here to protect you, not to be your personal recon agent."

"Qui-Gon said something like that before we left Naboo the last time. You're more like him than you think. Maybe that is why you argue so much."

"What do you want of me?"

"My plan depends on whether or not the secret passages are still open, or whether the Federation army has blocked them. If you…"

"You want me to risk my neck to find out if we can get in or not."

"Yes…and it may include a bit more, though it depends on what you see fit." Several long seconds passed before Elaina finally answered. This was not her day.

"Fine, I will do it. But, do not expect any more favors from me."

"Here, take this communicator. Do you need me to show you the blueprints of the city?"

"On the way here the first time, I studied the city to its fullest extent, including the secret passages. Believe me, your Highness, I will not have much of problem with that."

Without waiting for a reply, Elaina ran to one of the small speeders and headed in the direction of the city. As distance separated her from her friends, she used the Force to link her to Kelly, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon without them knowing. If something happened to them that day, she wanted to be there to help with all her power. With the link, she would know if they were hurt.

--

(Kelly-Fyn)

An hour had passed since the Gungans had joined their small force and the leaders, including the Jedi, were circled around a speeder, upon which R2 was projecting the holo-map of the city.

"Almost everyone's in camps," Panaka was explaining. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground resistance movement. I brought as many of the leaders as I could. The Federation Army's also much larger than we thought, and much stronger. Your Highness, this is a battle I do not think we can win."

"The battle is a diversion," Padme countered. "The Gungans must draw the Droid Army away from the city. We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side. Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then, we can enter the palace and capture the Viceroy. Without the Viceroy, they will be lost and confused."

~Where. Is. Elaina!~

Try as hard as she might, Kelly was unable to hide her bewilderment at her twin's absence.

"There is one flaw in your plan, your Highness. We don't know whether or not the passages are blocked."

"That is why I have sent Jedi Elaina Kalonya to scout the area and make sure that our plan will really work. If we can…" The queen was interrupted as her communicator beeped. "Speak of a Hutt. Elaina, did you make it to the passage alright?"

All three Jedi held their breaths as a hushed voice at the other end of the communication replied,

"Yes, I am fine. The coast is clear…only problem is the hundreds of stupid battle droids I'm having to hide from! Remind me to never do a favor for you again when I get back."

"So, aside from the droids, we can go through with our plan?"

"Now, your Majesty, I may not like you, but I do not have the nerve to take credit for your plan."

"Alright, come back and join us. We have a planet to save."

"In a minute…I have to…communication might…this is not…"

"What happened?!" Kelly-Fyn cried when Elaina's voice ceased to come through the com after the engaging of her lightsaber could be heard, followed by no sound at all.

"Something must have happened on her end," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Oh, thank you, Captain Obvious!"

"Kelly-Fyn, calm yourself," Qui-Gon ordered.

"Calm down?! My sister is in trouble!"

"Whatever situation Elaina has gotten herself into, I'm sure she can get out of it. I have learned that she is quite capable of standing up for herself…especially when it comes to arguing."

"Master, if Elaina has been captured, we may be short on time before the Federation at least guesses that there is more resistance," the padawan put in.

"You are right, Obi-Wan. Your Majesty?"

The queen looked at him, as if snapped from a trance.

"Uh…well…what do you think, Master Jedi?"

"The Viceroy will be well guarded."

"The difficulty's getting into the throne room," the captain added. "Once we're inside, we shouldn't have a problem."

"There is a possibility with this diversion many Gungans will be killed."

"Wesa ready to do arsen part," the boss responded.

"We have a plan," Padme went on, "which should immobilize the Droid Army. We will send what pilots we have to knock out the Droid control ship orbiting the planet. If we can get past their ray-shields, we can sever communication and their droids will be helpless."

"A well-conceived plan," the eldest Knight approved. "However, there's great risk. The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields."

"And there's an even bigger danger," said Obi-Wan. "If the Viceroy escapes, your Highness, he will return with another droid army."

"Well, that is why we must not fail to get to the Viceroy," the younger girl replied. "Everything depends on it…and the success of Jedi Elaina's plan, whatever that may be at the moment."

"You mean she got captured on purpose?!" Kelly again stressed. It was unbelievable! Padme had purposefully sent her twin to who knew what sort of torture or death at the hands of the Viceroy and Federation.

"We do not know for sure if she is captured. She may have simply encountered a bit of resistance, took care of it, and is heading back even as we speak."

Even with the queen's encouraging words, Kelly-Fyn could tell by studying the faces of those around the table that it was all but true.

Thanks for reading! Please, please review!


	9. No Emotion

Come on, people! Just one review, maybe? *pouty face*

No Emotion

During the entire trip to the city's secret passages, Kelly-Fyn was silent, trying to figure out what had happened to her twin. By the time she had officially found no conclusion other than that Elaina had been captured, they had reached the point where they were finally going to have some action. As Padme was signaling to Panaka, who was on the other side of the plaza they had stopped by, Qui-Gon bent down to speak with Anakin.

"Once we get inside, Annie, you find a safe place to hide and stay there."

"Sure," the boy replied nonchalantly.

"Stay there!"

"I think the boy's already getting the hang of this, Qui-Gon," Kelly noted.

Finally, as Captain Panaka engaged the droids, their half of the entourage was able to run, unnoticed, towards the main hangar where the pilots were being held. Casually and with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, the young Jedi took out her lightsaber and easily destroyed ten of the machines without even breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were similarly attacking the robots. While the freed pilots raced towards their ships at a command from their queen, the girl frantically looked around for Elaina, but she was nowhere to be seen. Once the few remaining enemies were taken care of, Padme spoke to the older man as they starting heading for the hangar exit.

"My guess is the Viceroy is in the throne room."

"I agree," the Knight reciprocated.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Anakin yelled from the cockpit he was hiding in.

"No, Annie, you stay there. Stay right where you are."

"But, I…"

"Stay in that cockpit! Kelly, if your sister has been captured, I'm guessing that she would be in the throne room with the Viceroy."

"But why did she not use the Force to escape?" the young woman argued. The dialogue was cut short as the bay doors opened to reveal the same person who attacked them on Tatooine, standing in the doorway.

"That might be part of the reason. Your Highness, we'll handle this. Kelly, go save your sister." Unfortunately, before they were able to get very far, the queen's group was halted by six shielded battle droids. To everyone's relief, the single remaining fighter destroyed the droids prior to taking off, giving the group the chance to reach the palace hallway, where they were soon pinned down by dozens more robots. As she flipped her lightsaber around, deflecting the shots aimed at her, the Jedi growled,

"I…really…hate…droids!"

While she continued grumbling to herself, Padme stated,

"We don't have time for this, Captain!"

In quick succession, Kelly twirled her weapon around to eliminate the glass in the nearby window, using the Force to stop several blasts from hitting her.

"Padme! The window!" Getting the idea, several of the defenders stepped outside, including the queen, leaving twenty of their number to continue fending off the machines. Putting her lightsaber away, Kelly-Fyn took out her gun along with everyone else, aimed it straight up, and fired thin cables from the pistols, which embedded themselves several stories above. The girl enjoyed the thrill of her feet dangling over nothing but thin air as the gun elevated her up the wall and thought of how Elaina would hate it. Thinking of her older twin brought worry to the forefront of Kelly's thoughts. What if something had happened? After disengaging their cables, the companions shot their way into the hall and stepped onto the floor, only to be surrounded by several destroyers.

"Throw down your weapons. They win this round."

Having complied, they were led towards the throne room. As soon as they entered, Elaina, who was handcuffed and kneeling on the floor, yelled,

"Kelly, Qui-Gon's in trouble! Hurry!" Quick as lightening, the young Knight snatched her weapons from the droid close by and raced out of the room, gunshots whizzing by her head. Due to her talent of being able to run fast in long distances, contrary to her sprinting sister, the girl was able to reach the elevator and close the doors within seconds, using the Force to increase the speed of the transport. Bounding out at the main level, she sensed her companions nearby in the power generation area and raced straight to main generator. Obi-Wan was just bolting towards the center through the shifting panel shields. On the spur of the moment, Kelly ran after him. She and the padawan were cut short at the last section as the shields switched on again. They did not even regard each other as they both stared intently at the heated battle between Qui-Gon and the Sith beside the generator core. In a flash of movement, the Darth banged the Jedi in the head and stabbed him in the abdomen. Knight and padawan cried out in surprise, anger, and anguish…a deadly combination, yes, but neither cared. Their only focus was revenge for their companion's death as the enemy turned to face them. Kelly-Fyn almost shook with the emotion flooding her when the shield lowered and the warriors attacked. Both sides were equally relentless in their assault.

(Elaina)

After seeing that the Viceroy was secure and the shield generator which had been keeping her from using the Force was destroyed, Elaina raced out the doorway. A gnawing pain in her stomach told her that something had happened to one of the other Jedi. Although every fiber of her told her not to do it, she severed the links she had created. The pain would only slow her down. By the time she had done this, she had reached the elevator, which still indicated that it was at ground level. Bounding over to the spiraling stairwell ten feet away, she groaned,

"I hate heights," before leaping into the circular space and letting herself fall down the four stories between her and helping her friends, the warm air speeding past and causing her hair to toss about like a barrel of shaken snakes. After using the Force to partially slow herself before rolling five feet out into the hall, Elaina ran straight for the main power generator. By the time she reached the fiery red shields, she was panting uncontrollably. Before she hardly had time to catch her breath, the shields switched off, allowing her to race as fast as she could towards the center, since she did not know how long the separations would be off. Just as the girl reached her destination, her leather boots noiselessly padding on the metal floor, she was attacked by the Darth, who attempted to use the Force in throwing her backwards. Quick as lightening, however, the Jedi responded with the same tactic, leaving them in a temporary stalemate. As she looked around, Elaina noted Qui-Gon lying motionless on the floor nearby, while Obi-Wan and Kelly were nowhere to be seen, though she could sense their presence close by. Moving closer to the gaping generator and effectively backing the Sith nearly into the opposite wall, the young woman looked over the side and saw the padawan dangling from a nozzle on the side of the pit, while Kelly was hanging onto his ankles.

"How did you get down there? This is no time for a rest!" Elaina sarcastically exclaimed. A second later, the Darth gave his push a bit more energy, forcing her against the wall and hardly giving her a chance to engage one of her lightsabers and block his frontal attack. "Oh, you are ugly! No wonder you're mad. If you want, I have the address of a great cosmetic surgeon on Coruscant." His only reaction was to sneer and continue his onslaught. A few moments later, her companions were able climb back over the ledge and join the fray, giving Elaina the chance to check on Qui-Gon.

-Well, he seems to only be unconscious, so…oh no…no-

Her eyes had found a stab wound in the man's abdomen.

(Obi-Wan)

Revenge was sweet as the padawan and Kelly-Fyn killed the Sith and sent his body tumbling down the shaft. For a moment, the two companions simply stood facing each other, lightsabers still on, panting from the exertion. Obi-Wan was shocked to see that the younger girl's irises were red. After he blinked, they were back to normal coffee color. Suddenly, Elaina's quiet voice dominated his senses.

"No…no, Qui-Gon, don't do this. I was not left for seven years just so you could die after a few days." She stood and walked to the edge of the precipice as Obi-Wan and Kelly-Fyn ran to the master's side. Kelly's eyes turned a pale blue as she bent down.

"It is too late," Qui-Gon was weakly saying as he regained consciousness, "It's…"

"No!" the apprentice interrupted.

"Obi-Wan, promise…promise me you'll train the boy…"

"Yes, Master."

"He is the Chosen One…he will…bring balance…train him. Kelly, tell Elaina…I'm sorry."

As silent tears slid down his cheeks, Obi-Wan looked up at the older girl. She was staring into the pit as if she wanted to jump into it…and an inch-wide segment, running all the way down the right side of her hair was a golden-blond color. Her lips moved, but no sound came. Curiosity of what she was saying slipped through his sorrow before it was once more overwhelmed by the fact that his friend, teacher, and father-figure was gone.

"Obi-Wan," Kelly-Fyn whispered, her piercing blue eyes sending chills down the man's spine, "we should get him out of here. It's unthinkable to leave him like this for long. Elaina, grab his legs…Elaina?" The quiet padding of Elaina's fast-retreating feet was fading as the girl raced away. "Listen, Obi-Wan…I'm…I'm sorry. If I had simply come with you instead of racing off after my sister, Qui-Gon would still be…"

"Kelly-Fyn, if you hadn't gone after Elaina…the queen would not have been able to reach the throne room on time and your sister might have been dead by the time they did reach it."

"I'm not really the problem. Elaina will blame herself, I guarantee you."

"Why would she do that?"

"It's what she does! You'll get used to it."

(Elaina)

Pad, pad, pad, pad, pad, pad…

On and on went the monotonous sound, the only noise evident to the ears. While the leaders of Naboo met in the throne room, the rest of the people were either in the infirmary, burying one of the casualties, or taking part in some other recovery-type effort; therefore, the halls were clear of any sign of life. A war was won, a planet saved, memories uncovered, and the congratulations of the Council, along with everyone else, was just around the corner, and yet…all Elaina could think about was the fact that she would not have the chance to apologize to Qui-Gon for her stubbornness. No chance for that now. Never would she be able to say the word "sorry" to the man whose friendship she had so abused. By the time she reached the palace waterfall, she was so tired that her legs gave out, refusing to hold her up any longer. Only then did she allow the tears to come. Several minutes later, she was interrupted by Anakin's voice.

"Are you ok?"

Jerkily, she looked at him, wiping her cheeks as the boy knelt beside her. There was no reason to hide the truth from him.

"No, Anakin, I'm not alright."

"What's with your hair? I didn't know you had blond in it."

"It's part of what I am." Another sob broke through Elaina's wall of control.

"What's wrong?"

"I see there is no hiding anything from you, Anakin. Qui-Gon…Qui-Gon is d…dead."

"What? No! He…" Though memories of her past still haunted her more than ever, the young Jedi Knight could not help but embrace the now sobbing nine-year-old child.

"I am so sorry I wasn't there to save him, Anakin. I'm…so sorry." Minutes went by before the boy settled down and began staring at her side.

"You…you're bleeding."

Sure enough, when Elaina looked down, she saw blood seeping through the tight cloth of her bodice: one of the courtesies of Darth Maul when he had been trying to force her to reveal the location of the rebels' center of planning. In the heat of battle and with Qui-Gon's death, she hadn't even noticed their presence between the time she heard her friends' footsteps nearing the throne room and that moment. If she wanted to live for more than an hour, the infirmary needed to be her first priority.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	10. Looking to the Future

Thanks Ugolino for your review! In reply to your comments…it's sort of my intention that my two characters seem not very much like Jedi. Don't worry; I'm going to eventually make them a bit more accurate in that sense…eventually. Next, yes, they are too good to be true, aren't they? Well, let's just say that I've taken this first movie to just introduce their characters…flaws will eventually come out…working process. ;) Anyway, finally, with the Force-stripping ability…my Star Wars knowledge only goes so far, but I'm learning as I go along…thank you so much for you advice and review! And I don't take offence to any of it. Believe it or not, but I enjoy 'constructive criticism' just as much as compliments…it helps me learn from my mistakes so I can be more careful in my research in the future.

Author's Note: Yay! I'm finally doing a flashback! Just a little info...I made up the characters of Turanga Silvereyes and Sheba Bladerunner. If they are similiar to any actual Jedi characters, it was not intentional.

Looking to the Future

(Kelly-Fyn)

A day had gone by since Qui-Gon's passing. While the sun was still high in the sky, the envoys from Coruscant arrived to return the Federation leaders to the capital for trial…and for the great Knight's funeral. Since the evening before, with all of the recovery efforts, no one had noticed that the other Jedi was missing until that morning. The younger twin had looked nearly everywhere for Elaina: the throne room, the waterfall, the main hanger, the courtyard, even the place where Qui-Gon had died, but she was nowhere to be found. She contemplated this as she stood beside Obi-Wan and Anakin to greet the representatives, knowing that her eyes had turned blue with worry when the padawan raised his eyebrows upon meeting her gaze. The Knight was at least grateful that he had not questioned the reason for the only partially controllable feature she had possessed since birth. Both of the sisters had succeeded in holding back most of their emotions for years; however, with the lack of normality during the past several days, suppressing trivial sensations were the least of their problems. Padme's strong, yet innocent voice temporarily suspended the inner conflict as the Queen addressed the alien in custody before he and his companion were taken away.

"Now, Viceroy, you are going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all this."

"I think you can kiss your trade franchise goodbye," added Captain Panaka.

Kelly-Fyn was quite pleased (and nearly forgot the disappearance of her twin) when she saw Palpatine descending the ship's exit ramp. The Jedi Masters behind were of little consequence compared to the personable, down-to-earth politician listening intently to the monarch's cordial greeting.

"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor."

"You boldness has saved our people, your Majesty. It is you who should be congratulated. Together, we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic," the man replied cheerfully before turning to Kelly-Fyn as Obi-Wan welcomed the Jedi. "Ah, Kelly-Fyn Kalonya! I am glad to see that you made it through this ordeal with hardly even a scratch!"

"Anything to see you, old friend!" the girl happily exclaimed.

"Where is your dear grating twin, Kelly? Did she not make it?" The others had separated in different directions, leaving the two companions to catch up.

"Actually, I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since yesterday. Strange…she's never stayed away from me this long when she's had a choice."

"People like Elaina, who bottle up their emotions as if they are some poison, break down far faster than those of us who occasionally let it out."

"I am trying to heed your advice, Chancellor, but it is difficult, since I have been trained to hide them."

"Kelly, I foresee that you will become an incredibly powerful Jedi. You are wise far beyond your years."

"I am honored that you think that, Chancellor. Without your advice throughout the past few years, I don't know where I would be."

_The twelve-year-old padawans skittered back the way they had come when the cute boy they had been following turned around as if he had sensed their presence. _

"_Come on, Kelly!" Elaina, the older of the two, whispered. "Give it up! One of these days, Obi-Wan is going to discover what we've been up to…and I am probably going to be blamed for it, knowing how these sort of things work."_

"_Oh relax, El," the brunette argued. "No one's figured it out, yet, and I doubt that they will any time soon."_

"_I wouldn't say no one has figured it out," a new voice opinionated. The girls whirled around to face the tall senator standing in front of them. Kelly-Fyn's eyes were wide with curiosity and slight fear; however, Elaina's were half-shut in a suspicious glare. "Oh, I apologize. I am Senator Palpatine…and you must be Elaina and Kelly-Fyn Kalonya. I have heard much of your skill and potential. So, the great Enduring Warriors have returned after all this time."_

"_How do you know so much?" Elaina hissed. "And what are you doing here in the Jedi temple?"_

"_You remind me of the description I read of the second-to-last recorded Enduring Warrior: Jedi Master Turanga Silvereyes…if I remember correctly, she was killed by a Sith in one-on-one combat…named for her ice-colored eyes…the most 'attuned' Jedi ever…'the most kind-hearted'…so much for that." The politician had taken to talking to himself. Kelly was fascinated by his extensive knowledge. He was like a walking archive. "And you, bright young Kelly-Fyn…you remind me of the last of your kind: Jedi Knight Sheba Bladerunner. Now, she definitely lived to her full potential…became the greatest swordsman…or woman…to have ever dominated the galaxy. She was the one who brought down Turanga in a dual…even at the tender age of only fourteen. It was said that her gaze could disarm any man, even more so than her predecessor."_

"_You still have not answered my questions, __Senator__."_

"_Goodness gracious, you are much like her. I have a meeting to attend with the Jedi Council, as well as a few questions that need answering. As for your other query, I have always found great interest in the history of the Jedi. Watching your progress will become a hobby for me, I can easily guess."_

"_Shouldn't you be going then, Senator? I am sure that the Council will be waiting."_

"_Of course…lovely meeting the both of you…especially you, fair Kelly."_

"_Why did you have to be so mean?" the younger sister asked as Palpatine disappeared around the corner. _

"_Mean? He is a politician, Kelly! Have you lost your senses?"_

"_No, you have…come on; we're going to be late for our next training session. And I'm going to beat you in the lightsaber dual, just like Sheba Bladerunner."_

"_Did you not catch what Sheba was?"_

"_What?"_

"_Elaina, Kelly-Fyn," Master Windu suddenly addressed them from a nearby doorway, "you're nearly late. I can only imagine which one of you might be responsible for that," he concluded, pointedly eyeing Kelly._

"_Sorry, Master."_

"_Try concentrating on your studies more, Kelly-Fyn."_

"_Yes, Master."_

(Obi-Wan)

"I apologize for not capturing him alive, Master," the padawan stated as they approached one of the tower rooms.

"Apologize do not, Obi-Wan," Yoda countered as he shuffled towards the closed door.

"The Darth would have been too dangerous to be kept alive, anyway. You just saved us from making a choice which would have received much judgment," Windu agreed before turning down the hall, directing his companions and Anakin away from Obi-Wan and Yoda. "We will leave you to it, then. May the Force be with you, young apprentice. You're going to need it."

"Since the trials you have passed for the most part, Obi-Wan, one last test does the Council demand of you."

At that, Yoda opened the door to reveal a circular room. The afternoon sunlight leaked through yellow-tinted windows as the man followed his leader towards the center of the floor. It was not until the green Jedi had stepped aside that he noticed the somewhat short cloaked figure in front of him. The identity of him or her could not be deciphered as he or she was wearing gloves and a hood was draped over his or her features. Suddenly, the person used the Force to whip a green lightsaber into his or her hand and attacked, forcing Obi-Wan to procure his own weapon to defend himself. As the blue and green rods of light danced around each other, the young man studied what was not hidden by the cloak. If it was a woman, her hands were definitely more muscular than most, although not large enough to be in the least abnormal. Other than that, the figure possessed average-sized feet (again, for a woman), slim ankles, and probably muscular calves. All of the traits had a feminine quality…definitely a woman. By the time Obi-Wan figured this out, the girl, seemingly fed up with simply exchanging blows, used the Force to hurl him against the wall just between two of the windows and above the sealed doorway before letting him crash to the ground. Having lost his lightsaber, he tried to likewise retaliate, but was utterly confused to find that he was unable to do so. As the woman pinned him against the door, still ten feet away, he realized that she had somehow cut him off from the Force. When she neared him, Obi-Wan kicked her in the stomach and rushed for his weapon. In apparent surprise, his opponent had released her hold on him and allowed him to use the Force before falling to the floor, the hood miraculously staying in place. On her knees, the foe tried throwing Obi-Wan across the room again, but he quickly retaliated by sending her sprawling once more prior to holding his lightsaber threateningly at the girl's throat.

"Find him worthy, do you?" Yoda unexpectedly queried, coming out of the shadows.

The padawan quickly lowered his weapon when the attacker flicked back her hood, allowing her long hair to tumble about her shoulders while gazing up at him with sapphire eyes.

"Yes," Elaina replied, "he is ready." Strangely, as she stood, the Knight slightly hissed from pain of some sort before composing herself.

"Elaina?!" the boy exclaimed, finally over his shock. "What are you doing here? How did you…"

"Master Yoda contacted me when they were nearly here and asked me to give you your last test. You are lucky I am injured; otherwise, you would have not survived that."

"Elaina," the short green Jedi addressed the girl, halting her retreat from the room.

"Yes, Master?"

"Choose padawans will you and your sister when return to Coruscant do we."

"Thank you, Master."

--

(Kelly-Fyn)

The sun's last rays of the day disappeared beyond the horizon as the funeral pyre was engulfed in flames. Suddenly, the girl felt Elaina's presence beside her.

"Elaina, where have you been? Everyone was worried sick about you."

"Actually," the older twin quietly argued, "you were the only one. Master Yoda and the others were the ones who encouraged me to seek solitude. If I had not, I would still be bedridden from the wounds I acquired."

"I'm not even going to ask."

Since they were somewhat close to the Jedi Masters, both Knights overheard Windu as he confided in Yoda.

"There is no doubt. The mysterious warrior was a Sith."

"Always two there are," the other Master replied. "No more…no less…a master and an apprentice."

"But which one was destroyed, the master or the apprentice?"

All four of them shared looks of concern before reverting their gazes to the pyre.

--

A month later, they were standing on the steps of the main plaza on Naboo with a parade of Gungans approaching the Queen, standing on the stairs. In but a month, the entire city had changed from a depressing refugee camp to a flower-laden palace, filled with singing children, Jedi, Gungans, townsfolk, and nobles, all there for a single purpose: to celebrate the alliance between the Gungans and humans of the world. Everyone wore contented smiles, including the three Jedi Knights with their padawans. Obi-Wan's, of course, was Anakin, whose padawan braid had already grown a few inches. Kelly-Fyn stood beside her small, Togrutan apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. She had nicknamed her "legs" for obvious reasons. Next to Elaina stood the petite, feminine, yet tough Rutian Twi'lek, Aayla Secura. As a practical joke on the male Jedi, all four of them, having become infamous for their far-from-normal ways of dressing, decided to go ahead in wearing the traditional, brown robes of the Jedi order. Even though she had loathed her sister's help in gaining a padawan at first, Kelly was incredibly happy that she would have the chance to teach someone herself, without anyone telling her what to do. Ahsoka was young, naïve, frisky, and rebellious, but it was not unlike what the Knight had been like several years before; therefore, she was perfectly content with momentary life. As far as she could tell, Elaina seemed to be similarly pleased with her padawan. Though trouble and danger lurked right around the corner, they would enjoy their moment of peace. Obi-Wan's eyes bulged as he looked at Kelly, giving her evidence that her eyes had turned bright violet with pride.

Thanks for reading! The reason it was so short is because I got lazy and didn't describe the padawans a very great detail. Therefore, if you want to know more about their characters, looks, species, etc., you're going to have to look them up. They are really characters from Star Wars, but I obviously switched their storylines around a bit. Pleeeeeease review!


	11. Friends Who Are Strangers

No reviews…so sad, but I'll keep going anyway, if only for my own amusement…

Friends Who Are Strangers

(Mace Windu)

The dark-skinned Jedi Master stared out the window which was placed behind the Chancellor in his office. Although he was heatedly debating alongside his companions against Palpatine's urging to commence the vote for an army of the Republic in the Senate, his mind was on other things. Ten years had passed since the citizens of Naboo were freed from the traitorous Federation. That uprising had only led to several other planets breaking away from the Republic…and their numbers were growing by the day. They had come to be known as the Separatists. The lack of knowledge gnawed at every Jedi in the order. Darkness clouded even Master Yoda's vision. No one knew who was really leading the Separatist movement, though it was most likely the Sith they had almost discovered a decade before. Unfortunately, it had resulted in the death of Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn, causing the whole thing to come to a standstill. The only Knights the Council was actually willing to send on the wild goose chase were Obi-Wan Kenobi, Elaina Kalonya, and her sister, Kelly-Fyn; however, one of them, Obi-Wan, was still in the process of training his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, though it could be made possible. Kelly-Fyn was with her trainee, Ahsoka Tano, on an undercover mission in the Outer Rim, infiltrating the underground Separatist ranks. She had successfully risen to a level where she and her padawan had gained key information that would provide the common people leverage in bringing about their downfall. Pulling her away from that would do no one any good. Finally, Elaina was just returning with her apprentice from an undercover mission of her own on Andasala. Her padawan, Aayla Secura, was going to be raised to the level of a Jedi Knight as soon as they returned, which would be at any moment. Even as the Senator Amidala entered the room and those already occupying it acknowledged her presence, Windu was still debating with himself over the bigger situation. After standing, he gave his opinion in the attack on the Senator, but was slightly taken aback as she argued,

"I think that Count Dooku was behind it."

"He is a political idealist," Ki-Adi-Mundi defended, "not a murderer."

"You know, M'lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He wouldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character," Windu further noted.

"But," Yoda put in, "for certain, Senator, in grave danger you are."

"Master Jedi," the Chancellor stated from his momentary position of staring out the window, "may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces?"

"Do you really think that is a wise use of manpower during these stressful times?" Senator Organa queried, quickly succeeded by Amidala.

"Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the…"

"…the situation is that serious?" Palpatine finished. "No, but I do, Senator. I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you're familiar with…an old friend like…Master Kenobi…or one of the Kalonya sisters."

"Kenobi's possible," Windu decided to offer. "He's just returned from a border dispute on Ansion. Knights Elaina and Kelly-Fyn I cannot be so sure of, however. They are both on the Outer Rim on undercover operations."

"Returning are both the Kalonya sisters," Yoda corrected. "Received news this morning did I. Kelly-Fyn will here be within the hour and Elaina…already in the Council chambers is she."

"Do it for me, M'lady, please," the Chancellor went on. "The thought of losing you…is unbearable."

"I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, M'lady," Mace finalized as his fellow Jedi began vacating the office. "The Kalonya sisters will be sent as soon as possible, as well."

"Thank you, Master Jedi," the twenty-four-year-old girl replied.

(Elaina)

An hour had passed since Elaina and her apprentice had been escorted into the Council chambers. Both master and padawan alike were still wearing the clothes from their mission. Elaina had hardly changed physically at all since the age of sixteen…courtesy of being an Enduring Warrior, though she rarely took pride in the fact, since it only put more responsibility on herself and her sister, whom she had not seen for nearly five years. The only things which had changed on the outside were that her hair had taken on a golden sheen, her eyes, formerly sky blue, had deepened in color, and her skin was more pale than ever. Her height had stayed the same, even as her padawan grew to be about as tall as her, which was no great challenge in anyone's eyes. Though everyone she met considered her perfect, she constantly battled a vicious inner war. Being an 'Enduring Warrior' was not as easy as some people made it sound. Yes, she was what some would consider ravishingly beautiful and yes, she possessed talents that even most Jedi could not even dream of having…but only her dear Master Yoda, her sister, and Aayla could even imagine the weight of such things. She cocked her head as she studied her reflection, realizing why her sister (and everyone else) had been telling her to 'relax' for years: her eyes. They held far too much worry and depth than necessary. Yoda himself had said, "Only when you are as old as I should you concern yourself with such fretting." It was true, but nothing could change that.

Both Elaina and Aayla were standing motionless, staring out the window, side by side. The older girl took great pride in the fact that she had taught Aayla to be so patient, though neither of them were comfortable. Aayla, who had passed as a dancer in the Hutt's palace, was wearing a mid-drift-revealing top, somewhat like what she normally wore, except that it was made out of pure gold. Elaina had given up objecting to the traditional garbs of the girl's homeland. Along with that, she was dressed in a bronze-colored skirt, which split nearly all the way up on both sides, to Elaina's distress, bronze armbands, and golden sandals. Elaina was quite a sight herself, having pretended to be one of the Hutt's bodyguards. The top of her outfit was a nearly-revealing corset of randomly patterned gold, shaped so that the slimness of her thinner-than-ever waist was evident. It was kept from falling down by four golden strings, which twisted their way around her throat and shoulders. Attached to the top were strips of gold dangling from about ten different points around her waist, under which was a thin, white, silk skirt that reached down to her femininely muscular shins. Additions to this were golden sandals, with straps that circled all the way up to her thighs, a golden wrist guard on her right arm, and a snake of the same metal high up on her other arm. Elaina cringed at the sight. She hated gold, yet she always ended up wearing it. Neither of them had gained access to a bath in nearly a week. Master Yoda's entrance disrupted any other thoughts she might have had. The girl's officially waist-long hair was suspended in the air for a split second as she twirled around to face her former master.

"Elaina, Aayla," he addressed them, "a pleasure to see you safe, as always."

"Likewise, Master Yoda," the women said in unison, receiving a humored smile from the green Jedi Master.

"Jedi Elaina, believe your apprentice to be ready so early do you?"

"Yes, Master," Elaina replied with a straight face. "Aayla still requires more experience to reach her full potential, but that is a dreadful fact for all Jedi. She is greatly talented with both the Force and the lightsaber. Patience and appreciation for nature are some things she definitely does not lack."

The fact that both teachers had hidden their plans from the padawan was evident as confusion became clear on her face.

"Then raise her to the level of Jedi Knight we will."

Neither of them gave Aayla a chance to respond, but simply walked out together. Before leaving, Elaina turned to her apprentice.

"You are released from my charge, Aayla. It has been an honor being your teacher. Tomorrow, you shall be officially tested and accepted into the order by the Council. Remember my advice. May we meet again soon and may the Force be with you."

"And may the Force be you, Mistress," Aayla called as the Master and Knight disappeared around the corner.

"Waited for this day for over a decade have I," Yoda said as they strolled down the hall. Elaina resisted the urge to rip her clothes off. The lack of cleaning had made the cloth underneath the armor rather itchy. "However, not only for Aayla's sake…"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"The Council has followed your progress with growing interest over the years. When the time comes, a position on the Council itself you may gain."

"I will do my best not to disappoint, Master."

"I understand that you will wish to find more comfortable clothes and such; however, Senator Amidala in need of protection is she. Promised that you would report to her in her quarters did I. Your sister and Obi-Wan will meet you there when they are able. I believe Kelly-Fyn's padawan is about to be granted Knighthood also."

--

(Obi-Wan)

The Knight was standing in the elevator with his padawan as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Strangely, Anakin kept fiddling with and straightening his clothes.

"You seem a little on edge."

"Not at all," the tall apprentice bluffed, though he had instantly stopped fidgeting.

"I haven't felt you this tense since…since we fell into that nest of Gundarks."

Anakin breathed a laugh before replying.

"You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you. Remember?"

"Oh…yes." Obi-Wan could not help but chuckle at the memory, soon to be joined by the young man beside him. Anakin had grown much since Qui-Gon had found him on Tatooine. Then he noticed the boy's continual nervousness.

"You're sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath."

"I haven't seen her in ten years, Master."

"Who? There are a few girls you haven't seen in a while."

"Padme…who else could I be talking about?"

"Well, the Kalonya sisters, for example…oh, right, it would only be the older of the two. I remember going on a mission with Kelly-Fyn…was that four years ago, now?"

"I always thought that you and Kelly…or Elaina would…you know."

"You should know that we are not allowed to have such relationships, Anakin. I must have taught that lesson to you at least ten times by now."

"Sorry, Master."

"Besides, what would make you think such a thing?"

"Well, it's just that…back then you…what I mean is…never mind."

Obi-Wan would have questioned his padawan further, but the elevator door opened just then to reveal Jar-Jar Binks, in the stately robes of a senator.

"Obi?" the Gungan unbelievingly queried before going to heartily shake the Knight's hand. "Obi! Mesa so smilen to see'en yousa."

"It's good to see you again, Jar-Jar," the man half-heartedly reciprocated as the creature began leading them towards Senator Amidala's quarters. As they crossed the threshold, Jar-Jar addressed the now full-grown woman.

"Senator Padme, disa paloce, here. Lookie, lookie, Senator. Disa Jedi arrived."

He had to admit that he understood Anakin's amazement of the girl. She looked stunning in regal gown she was in…definitely more appealing than the enormous costumes she had worn during her days as queen he noted while bowing before the politician and shaking her hand.

"It's a great pleasure to see you again, M'lady."

"It has been far too long, Master Kenobi," the young woman replied, meek-sounding as ever, before her eyes found his padawan behind him. "Annie?! My goodness, you've grown."

"So have you," the boy responded, clearly trying to be smooth about it, but failing. Obi-Wan wanted to knock his apprentice unconscious for his stupidity as he fumbled. "…grown more beautiful, I mean…well, for a senator, I mean." Padme simply laughed.

"Oh, Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine."

The master could feel Anakin's embarrassment practically radiating off of the young learner as they made their way to the couches in the center of the room and he explained,

"Our presence will be invisible, M'lady, I can assure you."

The dark-toned man with the patch over his eye then introduced himself.

"I am Captain Typho of her Majesty's security service. Queen Jimala has been informed me of your assignment. I am grateful you're here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit."

"I don't need more security," the Senator argued, "I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me."

"We're here to protect you, Senator," Obi-Wan countered, "not to start an investigation."

"We will find out who is trying to kill you, Padme, I promise you," Anakin put in, to the man's great disappointment.

"We are not going to exceed our mandate, my young padawan learner."

"I meant in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course."

"We are not going through this exercise again, Anakin. You will pay attention to my lead."

Just as he was about to refocus on the matter at hand, the boy insisted,

"Why?"

"What?!"

"Why else do you think we were assigned to her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi. It's overkill, Master, and you know it."

"We will do as the Council has instructed…and you will learn your place, young one."

"Perhaps with merely your presence," Padme offered, "the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now, if you will excuse me, I will retire."

At that, everyone but Obi-Wan, Typho, Anakin, and Jar-Jar vacated the premises.

"Well, I know I feel a lot better having you here," the captain stated. "I'll have an officer on every floor and I'll be at the command center downstairs." When Typho left and Obi-Wan circled the room to take in the scenery, he could hear Jar-Jar and the padawan talking, though he tuned out most of the short conversation. As he approached, he knew that they were discussing the senator.

"Shesa happy," the Gungan was saying. "Happier den mesa see-en her in longo time."

"Anakin," the older man reminded as Jar-Jar departed, "you're focusing on the negative again. Be mindful of your thoughts…and she was happy to see us. Now, let's check the security here."

"No need for that," a new voice suddenly disputed. The two men turned to find a young woman leaning against the doorway which led to the elevators. She was nearly as tall as Obi-Wan, with deep chocolate-colored eyes, thin, shapely, rosebud lips, and a small nose featured on her semi-round face, which was in turn framed by straight, black hair, reaching two inches past her petite ears in a layered, choppy fashion, curling out and up slightly at the ends. Her dress was made of a light silk material, black, tight in the bodice, with short, tight sleeves, a narrow, rounded, somewhat low neckline, and a thigh-high split on the left side of the skirt. In addition, there was a tight, shawl-like piece of royal purple cloth wrapped around her shoulders, a long, purple sash around her waist, mostly covering the slit in the skirt, and black armguards. Her body was tanned, slim, and athletic.

"I already took care of that," she finished.

"Kelly…Fyn?"

"Oh, come now! I would think that you would remember me after only four years!" Though her face had been utterly serious up to that point, that soon changed. A beaming smile decorated her flawless face and her unique eyes turned green as she raced towards Obi-Wan and somewhat tackled him with a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck as he twirled her around before setting her down. Laughing a low-key, but musical giggle, her eyes caught sight of Anakin. "Annie? That couldn't possibly be you!"

"It's me, Kelly," the padawan almost shyly confirmed. It seemed that his experience in greeting the senator had temporarily humbled him, although the cheerful young woman soon dispelled the outer worry of the boy as she yanked on his braid.

"Stop looking like that! You haven't seen my sister for a decade, so you shouldn't have to act like her. Cheer up and give me an actual greeting!" The apprentice's response was to pick the girl up and twirl her around in almost the same fashion as the older man prior to simply giving her a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Kelly."

"Likewise…now, where's my elusive big sister? I heard that she was supposed to be here, but where is she?"

"I don't…oh, here she comes."

The subject was just stepping out of the elevator down the hall, looking as if she were in deep thought. She was pretty much the same, but the color of her eyes and waist-long hair seemed amplified since the last time Obi-Wan had seen her. The shimmering gold corset of her dress confirmed her seemingly almost too-thin waist and shapely silhouette. Her shockingly pale skin set off her big, sapphire eyes. Apparently, Elaina had been in such deep thought that she gave a start when her sister tackled her from behind.

"What happened to you? Did you fall into a grease-filled gold mine?" Kelly-Fyn sarcastically queried while walking towards the men.

"No," the older twin countered calmly, "I was undercover at the palace of a Hutt for three weeks. Tragically, bathes are not the most available thing there."

"Where have you been, the morgue?"

"Again, no…my position there only allowed a few hours of sleep each night. You try it someday and tell me how enthusiastic you are." Her eyes then settled on the other two occupants of the room. "Dear me, where are my manners! I would tackle you with a hug like Kelly probably did, but how about we save that for later. I am in dire need of a bath and a couple hours of rest."

At that, she walked directly back out the way she had come.

"Five years, and all she has are excuses for running away, again," the remaining young woman whined.

"I'm sure she'll be fine later," Obi-Wan lamely excused, although he was a bit concerned as well.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	12. The Two Who Don't Mind Flying

Thanks MeldaTavar, Kit9888, and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews! Though I wouldn't easily give up on this story, your support and advice helps GREATLY.

The Two Who "Don't Mind Flying"

(Elaina)

As she stepped out of the sanisteam shower in her quarters, scrubbing her lengthy hair with a towel, the girl's eyes caught sight of the mirror. Goodness, her waist was slim! During all of her never-ending missions, eating had often not been a top priority at the beginning of each day. Shaking her head in amusement over her own simplemindedness, Elaina tossed the towel on the cold metal floor. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the refresher room, her shiny hair looking darker than normal as it was still wet, though the waves were still present, even with the weight.

Walking to her closet, she donned a pair of somewhat tight, light brown pants and a slightly darker long-sleeve shirt with a sweeping, fairly low neckline that barely missed falling off of her shoulders and flowing sleeves, which were kept somewhat out of the way by black bands just above her elbows. Over these, she placed a corset-like piece of black clothing, which wrapped around the length of her waist, tightening the cloth underneath to be shaped with her figure, and a belt around her hips, from which draped a skirt-type black cloth. The right side of it was short enough to end above her knee; however, it slanted down on the left side to reach her shin. It was that side on which sat the silver belt buckle, leaving an inch-wide space of the skirt to allow the pants underneath to be revealed. The attire was completed with nearly flat-heeled, black leather boots that attained the height of just above her knees, and a black belt strap about her left thigh, from which hung her lightsaber (she had lost the other one several years before).

As she fetched her Jedi robe/cloak, Elaina took one last look in the mirror before shutting the closet. The apparel was simple, action-ready, and elegant all at the same time. Perfect for whatever might be coming. While walking down the hall, a random thought came to her mind.

-I can let Kelly do something with my hair. I wasn't exactly very courteous when I saw her-

--

As night engulfed them, all four Jedi were in the guest quarters of the senator. Anakin was standing near Padme's closed bedroom door and Elaina was sitting on the couch with Kelly turning her hair into one long, thick, high braid as Obi-Wan was checking the security around the building. The younger twin had apparently thought much like her sister when choosing her attire. She was wearing tight blackish maroon pants, black knee-high leather boots with a half-inch heel, a sleeveless, sporty grey top which had a narrow, slightly low neckline. The shirt's bit of sleeve swooped inward towards her neck as if to purposefully bring attention to her femininely muscular, tanned arms. The finer details were a black wristguard on her left side, a black armguard high on her left, and a baldric, supported from her right shoulder, holding a lightsaber and laser pistol of personalized, sleek design. Lying beside her was a black Jedi robe.

"So," Kelly was saying, "what have you been up to for the past few years, El? I hardly heard from you, let alone saw you…and when I did, you were always rushing off for another mission."

"Well…I've been busy. In five years, I have negotiated seven treaties, infiltrated six Separatist bases, demonstrated the use of the Force for Master Yoda's students on nine separate occasions, and trained an extremely talented padawan, who is, by the way, going to be raised to the level of a Jedi Knight tomorrow. What about you?"

"Hm, that's quite a handful…I negotiated only two treaties, one of which literally blew up in my face, infiltrated eleven bases, though most of them were drug dealers and smugglers, demonstrated for Windu's lightsaber students eight times, and trained a padawan, who is also being raised tomorrow, though I'm only partially sure that she's ready."

"You're not sure she is ready, but you are still having her raised? Why?"

"Well, I have you to compete with, don't I?"

"It's not a competition, Kelly! Even you should know that."

"I'm joking, sis! Relax!"

"If someone tells me to relax one more time…"

"It'll be for a good reason, like it always has been. Anyway, Ahsoka, like me, is more practiced with the lightsaber than the Force and she still has a lot to learn; however, she won't be able to learn much more from me, so I figured, why not?"

Elaina cleared her throat and lowered her voice so that Anakin would not be able to hear.

"Kelly, you…you kept our true identities a secret, right? Not everyone knows what we are and no one knows who we are…right?" The younger woman, finished with her twin's hair, was biting her lip, clearly troubled. "Oh, Kelly, tell me you did not do what I think you did."

"Only a per…only people who I trust with my life, so our secret's still safe."

"I thought we agreed not to tell anyone. We would be kicked out of the order for sure if they knew we joined them on a condition contrary to what is required. Do you know what that means, Kelly? We would become exiles…outsiders. The Sith would do all in their power to win us over to their side."

"If the Council kicked us out, it would be more a loss for them than us. No offence, but I wouldn't blame the Sith if they came after us then."

"Sometimes, you worry me."

"I worry everybody! It's what I do." Obi-Wan's entrance suddenly disrupted their conversation.

"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs," he stated. "No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?"

"Quiet as a tomb," Anakin replied, going to join his master in the middle of the room. The girls also stood and joined them. "I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her."

After looking at his palm-sized viewing screen, the older man asked,

"What's going on?"

"Eh, she covered the cameras. I don't think she liked me watching her."

"What is she thinking?"

"She programmed R2 to warn us if there is an intruder."

"There are many other ways to kill a senator."

"I know, but we also want to catch this assassin, don't we, Master?"

"You're using her as bait!"

"It was her idea! Don't worry; no harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me."

"It's too risky. Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, my young apprentice."

"And yours are?"

"Possibly…"

"…not," Elaina added, looking at Obi-Wan from the corner of her eye. He looked more handsome than ever. If she ever was indeed discovered and thrown out of the order, she would no longer be bound by the hard-hearted laws of it. Hey, a little fantasizing never hurt anyone.

-What am I thinking! Elaina, you can't go from reprimanding your sister to doing exactly what you chastised her for: what ifs. You are not going to be kicked out of the order; therefore, it's not possible-

Not probable, another part of her opinionated. It had been done before without disastrous consequences. Elaina had always been the more traditional of the twins, and yet there she was, infatuated by a man she had hardly seen for a decade. It was just wrong.

-No, you will not be put out of the order and you will stay faithful to the laws, no matter what-

That settled, Elaina refocused on the present. Anakin had walked over to the window and Obi-Wan was noting,

"You look tired."

"I don't sleep well, anymore," the boy replied.

"Because of your mother?"

"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her."

"Dreams pass in time."

"Ha, I wish," Kelly suddenly stated.

"What do you mean?" Elaina asked, concerned for her sister. Had something happened during their parting?

"Anakin, is it like seeing something that is happening or will happen…and incredibly realistic?"

Both Elaina and Obi-Wan were looking, slightly bewildered, between their companions, though the other two seemed quite contained.

"Yes," was the response. "What are your dreams of?" Cornered, Kelly's eyes darted between her then glaring twin and the curious padawan.

"My mother…"

"Isn't your mother dead?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Still trying to get me fired, are we?" Elaina interrupted, to the other girl's clear relief, smirking at the man. His eyes…anyone could get lost in them if they weren't careful.

"I'd much rather dream about Padme," Anakin went on. "Just being around her again is…intoxicating."

-I can reciprocate with a certain bearded Jedi…there I go again!-

"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin," the master chided, "they betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi order, a commitment not easily broken…and don't forget she's a politician and they're not to be trusted."

"She's not like the others in the Senate, Master."

"It's been my experience that senators are only focused on pleasing those who fund their campaigns…and they are in no means scared to forget the niceties of democracy in order to get those funds."

"Not another lecture, at least not on economics and politics…and beside, you're generalizing. The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt."

"I can second that," Kelly offered.

"Palpatine is a politician!" both of the other two exclaimed, to Elaina's great pleasure, before Obi-Wan took over the argument. "I've observed that he is very clever at following the passions and prejudices of the senators."

"I think he's a good man," the apprentice simply stated. "My…"

Suddenly, they all looked towards the senator's room.

"I sense it, too."

All four Jedi raced in, although Elaina and Obi-Wan stayed near the entrance while Anakin and Kelly sliced the two giant worm-like creatures on Padme's bed.

(Kelly-Fyn)

As the sleeping girl bolted upright, Obi-Wan unexpectedly went bashing through the window and grabbing a hold of the floating droid, which instantly flew away…with him in tow.

"Obi-Wan!" she cried out in alarm, racing to where her sister was standing at the gap in the glass. "What in the blazes does he think he's doing?!"

"Being a Jedi," Elaina calmly responded, although worry was etched on her face as well.

"Stay here!" Anakin ordered the senator prior to racing out the door, closely followed by the other two Jedi. A moment later, they reached the roof, where dozens of speeders were parked. The young man then found a yellow one with an open cockpit and four seats. With him at the controls, Kelly-Fyn next to him, and Elaina in the back, the padawan quickly took off and flew after Obi-Wan. Then, a thought just occurred to the girl.

"El!" she called.

"Uh-huh?" the voice in the back warily responded.

"Why exactly did you come?"

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you afraid of things like…oh, flying and heights, for example?"

"I don't mind them, it's just…" Whatever else she would have said was cut off as she quietly squeaked in alarm due to Anakin driving the pod straight down. A moment later, they managed to catch up with the falling Jedi and scoop him up. After sitting beside Elaina in the back seat, he asked,

"What took you so long?"

"Oh, you know, Master," the younger man replied, "…I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked…"

"There he is."

"…with the open cockpit, the right speed capabilities, and four seats…"

"If you spent as much time working on you saber techniques as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman," Obi-Wan stated, cringing along with Elaina as they nearly collided with several pods in their way.

"I thought I already did."

"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice." After twirling and twisting in pursuit of the person who had sent the carrier droid for several more seconds, the runner led them plummeting towards the ground. Kelly-Fyn couldn't help but laugh at the exhilaration, even when Anakin joined her as a transport came between them and their target.

"Anakin…" the older twin began.

"Pull up, Anakin. Pull up!" the older man finished. An unusual tenseness was emanating from the back seat until the padawan sharply leveled the craft, barely missing the transport. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

"Sorry, Master," the boy incredulously responded, "I forgot you don't like flying."

"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide!"

Both of the people in the front seat burst out laughing at that; meanwhile, the other two continued flinching away from the constant near-collisions. After their fits of laughter ceased, Anakin leaned over towards Kelly and spoke just loud enough for her to hear.

"You know what they say: opposites attract." Kelly, faking insult, gave the young man a slight shove. He in turn exaggerated the movement and made a sharp turn, causing the more cautious duo to yell out in alarm, bringing yet another wave of laughter from the front seat. The attempted killer proceeded to shoot a nearby power coupling, causing huge bolts of electricity to shoot out and at their pod as they passed through it.

"Anakin! How many times have I told you…stay away from power couplings…" After a few seconds of lingering electrical shock, the danger ceased. "That was good," Obi-Wan sarcastically finalized.

A moment later, the fugitive flew into a tunnel; however, Anakin drove past it.

"Where are you going?!" the master cried. "He went that way!"

"Master, if we keep this chase going any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep fried," the padawan excused. "Personally, I'd very much like to find out who he is and who he's working for. This is a short-cut…I think."

Reaching the other side of the tunnel, they realized that their target was nowhere in sight.

"Well, you've lost him."

"I'm deeply sorry, Master."

"That was some short-cut, Anakin. He went completely the other way. Once again, you've proved that…"

"If you'll excuse me…" With that, the padawan jumped over the side, letting himself fall. Leaning over Elaina to catch a glimpse of his plummeting student, Obi-Wan growled,

"I hate it when he does that."

"I don't mind," Kelly-Fyn cheerfully countered as she took over the controls and sped off after Anakin and the speeder to which he had attached himself.

"It was reckless."

"But it worked."

Soon, Anakin's lightsaber came flying towards them, only to be caught by Obi-Wan. Though she was able to keep up with the pod for some time, Kelly eventually lost it in the traffic.

"Perfect! You lost them."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You're worse than Elaina."

"Hey, I am not at all dramatic," the older girl suddenly piped up from the back seat as Obi-Wan took over driving, "unless, of course, you're speaking of yourself in a roundabout way."

"Relax…both of you!" the man interjected. "Where did he go?"

"Consider looking ahead and down." Sure enough, there was Anakin and their target crashing to the ground in one of the nearby alleyways.

"How does your sister do that?" Obi-Wan half whispered.

"Do what?" the younger woman queried.

A slightly annoyed growl was all she received in reply. He hadn't changed a bit in the four years they had been parted. The handsome appearance and straightforward personality that had drawn her towards Jedi Kenobi as a twenty-year-old padawan still drew her, she realized as they landed, jumped out of the craft, and ran towards an overflowing nightclub.

The rebellious padawan was just about to race into the building as his master halted him.

"Anakin!"

"She went into the club, Master," Anakin reported as Elaina anonymously slipped past him and disappeared into the crowd.

"Patience, use the Force, think."

"Sorry, Master."

"He went in there to hide, not to run."

"Yes, Master."

Handing the boy his dropped lightsaber, he moved on to a different subject while Kelly stood on her tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of her allusive twin.

"Next time, try not to lose it."

"Yes, Master."

"This weapon is your life."

"I try, Master."

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"

"Don't say that, Master…you're the closest thing I have to a father."

"Then why don't you listen to me?"

"I am trying."

"Do you see him?"

~Goodness, he changes the subject a lot!~

"I think he is a she…and I think she's a Changeling."

"In that case be extra careful. Go find her."

"Where are you going, Master?"

"For a drink…"

"I hate it when he does that."

"You know," the girl said while looking through the knots of people, "for Jedi, you two do an awful lot of talking."

(Obi-Wan)

The Jedi made his way towards the bar and found himself leaning against the table, about to order a drink, before the exact thing he would have called for slid in front of him, seemingly on its own accord. After using the mind trick to send an alien trying to sell him 'death-sticks' on his own way, he turned to Elaina, who was sipping on her own drink.

"What made you think that this was the drink I wanted?"

"A good guess," she nonchalantly replied, setting her drink down and paying the bartender.

"Something I suppose an Enduring Warrior would naturally be good at."

"You have known that for ten years…what kept you from bringing it up until now?"

Their conversation was not given the chance to really go anywhere as Obi-Wan, sensing the bounty hunter's presence, twirled around and sliced off her gun-bearing arm with his lightsaber. All business in the building ceased as everyone paused to look at the scene until Anakin approached with Kelly-Fyn, telling the crowd,

"Jedi business…go back to your drinks."

At that, the two men proceeded to drag the one-armed woman out into the nearly empty ally and lowered her to the ground.

"Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" Obi-Wan interrogated.

"It was the Senator from Naboo," the injured woman growled through clenched teeth.

"Who hired you?"

"It was just a job."

"Just a job," Kelly snarled. She probably would have resorted to more hostile methods of questioning, but it was evident that Elaina was holding her back as the younger girl settled down after a few muttered words between the twins.

"Who hired you? Tell us," Anakin kindly put in. When the bounty hunter kept her mouth shut, he yelled, "Tell us, now!"

She finally gave in.

"It was a bounty hunter called…" Suddenly, she was hit by something in the neck, causing her to transform into her alternate Changeling form as she died, mumbling a name which was indecipherable, sadly. The four Jedi looked up to witness an armored man with a jetpack fly away and disappear in the mass of buildings. Obi-Wan then proceeded to pull the projectile from the woman's neck to study it.

"A toxic dart," he noted.

Thanks for reading! Please review!

Just as a reminder, I have a poll on my profile as to which of my added Star War characters is your favorite. Don't worry; you have a while to decide. There are many more aspects of Elaina and Kelly-Fyn's personalities that I have yet to explore.


	13. Equivalent Pairings

Thanks Kit9888, Katie Ladmoore, and Ahsoka 14 for your reviews!

Equivalent Pairings

(Elaina)

Though it was still rather early in the morning, much had already happened in the Jedi Council room. In a half an hour, Kelly's padawan had been tested and raised to the level of Knighthood, after which, Elaina had joined her twin and the new Jedi in a small, simple breakfast to congratulate Ahsoka and exchange hilarious stories of missions gone wrong. Following that, Elaina returned to the Temple for her own trainee's promotion.

Aayla had left a few minutes before to celebrate with her few friends and the golden-haired instructor was just about to leave herself, when Yoda stopped her.

"Unfinished business have we," he stated. Confused, she looked about the room at the separate Masters in their respective seats. All simply stared right back for a moment until Windu broke the silence.

"Over the years, we have discussed it, debated, and agreed…Elaina, there is a shadow being cast about the Force, making it difficult for us to see the future and through whatever deception the Sith have laid before us. In our observance, we have seen your great talent and wisdom."

The girl in question unintentionally cut off Windu's speech by laughing nervously before saying,

"The last time you spoke like that, I ended up training a padawan. What is it this time?"

It was Yoda's turn to laugh, receiving almost alarmed looks from the rest of the Council. Only Elaina understood. Having been trained by the green Jedi Master, she had seen aspects of his personality that most would never dream of…and, surprisingly to some, the great and powerful Yoda had quite the sense of humor. Finished laughing, he pondered,

"Always straight to the point; however, serious we are."

"Elaina," Windu went on, "dark times may be just around the corner and many Jedi may die, even Masters. If that day comes, we will need all the help we can get. To the point, you are next in line for a position on the Council."

The young woman alarmed them all with her answer. It was like déjà vu. She was getting promoted again, with the likely event of leaving her sister behind.

"Why me? Obi-Wan is just as wise and experienced, if not more so."

The oldest Jedi sighed knowingly. He was completely aware of what she was thinking.

"Your sister this has to do with, isn't it?" he queried, though it was nearly more of a statement than a question.

"I will not leave her behind in the dust while I become famous and powerful. I know what you think of her: irresponsible, unpredictable, rash. Whatever else your opinion of her may contain, it is not reason enough for me to betray her."

"Consider taking on more responsibility betraying her, do you?"

"Yes, I do. I will not admit that position just because I am an Enduring Warrior…and the older one, at that. I'm sorry, but that is my angle and nothing for now will change my mind." A long and uncomfortable silence ensued, although the woman standing in the middle of the room refused to show her emotions. Finally, it was broken by Windu.

"Very well…for now, we will respect your position on the subject; however, we will further pursue it later on."

"As you wish, Master."

(Kelly-Fyn)

"Did we miss something?" the tall brunette cheerfully queried, trying to hold back her yawns as she entered Council chambers with Obi-Wan and Anakin close behind her. While the former began explaining the happenings of the night before, she simply concentrated on keeping her eyes from closing and falling over into the lap of one of the Council members. That would certainly write her off as a Jedi. That particular train of thought led her to look at her sister. The older girl was straight-faced as always, but her jaw was set, as if she had been arguing with the Council…that rarely happened. Also, like herself, Elaina was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing since yesterday.

_The twins walked down the hall towards their quarters. Both had their eyes half-closed and were leaning on each other for support, consequently not going in a straight line. Luckily, no one else was in the hall, sparing the girls the humiliation of being seen traipsing about like late night drunks. By chance, Elaina's room was a bit closer; therefore, they both stumbled through the older woman's door and collapsed on the bed, hoping to catch an hour or two of sleep prior to the busy schedule of the morning._

"_El?" Kelly mumbled a moment later from her prone position on the full-size bed as her companion sat up, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes, denying herself those precious moments of peaceful slumber which were so rare in a Jedi's life. She was so much like Yoda in her dedication to becoming closer-knit with the Force; Kelly-Fyn wouldn't be surprised if the Council shoved another head-start promotion in her face._

"_I thought you were asleep, Kelly," she responded. "What is it?"_

"_You aren't going to leave me behind, are you?"_

_The young woman's eyes lazily opened; however, there was unusually open concern on her face._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Unlike the last time we were given an advancement of any sort, the next step up is harder to achieve. The Council has always favored you more and…" She simply let the statement trail off. Meanwhile, Elaina's face melted from a look of concern to one of hardly suppressed amusement._

"_My dear sister…who was it who said, '__I don't need your help. I can take care of myself'?"_

"_You had to bring that up, didn't you? Back then, I was young and stubborn."_

"_What are you talking about? You're more stubborn than ever, now."_

"_Ha ha, very funny…but seriously…" At that, she sat up, her mind too awake to allow sleep to overcome her exhausted body. "You have to admit that they're going to ask you eventually to join them on the Council." Upon hearing the last opinion, Elaina's brow became a furrowed knot._

"_I will not take up our father's mantle in leaving my family behind to fend for themselves. I will not allow it."_

"_You won't always be able to stay behind for me, sis. There's evidence in the fact that we haven't seen each other for like five years. You're acting as if we've been together the whole time, but it's true."_

"_I know…I'm sorry. Listen, can we drop that subject for now? I have the feeling that it may come up plenty in the days to come."_

_With that conversation concluded, Kelly-Fyn lay back down and positioned herself more comfortably with her head on the thick pillow in the middle of the bed. Life almost couldn't be more perfect. Yes, all of the more serious Jedi such as those on the Council were always fretting about the Dark Side taking over and yes, her sister seemed to be becoming one of them…but things were simple for the moment. Except for a certain thing she had realized over the years...frustration flooded her. Couldn't she just go to sleep?_

"_What's wrong, Kelly?" _

_Clearly, the older twin had sensed her boiling-over emotions._

"_What about Obi-Wan? I've noticed over the years that I'm not the only one eyeballing him."_

_A long pause was temporarily the only reply she received. Then, Elaina opened her mouth. Still, no sound came for a moment. She seemed to be fighting a battle with herself of some sort. Whichever side won, an answer finally came, but not the one Kelly-Fyn wanted to hear._

"_The laws…"_

"_The laws can go eat bantha fodder for all I care…"_

"_Kelly!" _

"_Well, it's true, El! Now, however you may lecture me about 'laws' and 'regulations' of the order, feelings can't be helped, no matter how strict we are. Both of us are completely infatuated by that one silly Jedi, he can't even imagine."_

"_Fine, fantasizing for moment…yes, ok, you win…"_

"_I knew it…question is, what are we going to do about it?"_

"_What do you mean? We can't do anything about it."_

"_Oh yes, we can. El, I'm not the one who hung onto every word of those history classes and even I know that it's been done before without absolutely horrible consequences…sometimes, it even had a good outcome."_

"_You had your eye on him first."_

"_Yeah, but I'm not going to push it in his face. I have an idea…let's leave it up to him. If the time comes, I make my move, and he rejects me for you, then that's how it'll be…or the other way around."_

"_Sounds a bit harsh…"_

"_Do have a better idea?"_

"_Not really…"_

_Flopping back down and closing her eyes, Kelly decided to end the conversation on a lighter note._

"_I can't believe you prefer meditating to sleeping."_

"_Surprisingly, it's quite relaxing, unless of course there is someone dying or in pain nearby."_

"_Don't expect me to become that obsessed."_

"_I would never even think of it."_

Back to reality, Yoda was responding to Obi-Wan's narrative.

"Track this bounty hunter you must, Obi-Wan."

"Most importantly," Windu added, "find out who he's working for."

"What about Senator Amidala?" the Knight queried. "She will still need protecting."

"Handle that your padawan will," the green Master confirmed.

Again, it was Windu's turn.

"Anakin, escort the Senator back to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees."

"As the leader of the opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the capitol," the boy stated.

"Until caught this killer is," Yoda further inputted, "our judgment she must respect."

The turn of talking once again shifted to Windu.

"Anakin, go to the Senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her about this matter."

"Master," the younger girl began, "what of me and Elaina?"

"Elaina go with Obi-Wan she will," Yoda replied. "You, Kelly-Fyn, accompany young Skywalker to Naboo."

"Yes, Master."

At that, the four Knights went their own separate ways. Kelly herself followed Anakin.

(Obi-Wan)

After bowing to the Council, the Jedi made for the door; however, his companion's voice caused him to pause.

"Masters, I understand your prejudices against my sister's actions and that of myself when we are together, but I do not think that splitting us up will solve…"

"We have made our decision, Elaina," Windu interrupted. "We will discuss these matters later, but for now, you will investigate this assassination attempt with Obi-Wan. Is that clear?"

"…as you wish, Master."

"What was that about?" the middle-aged man asked as Elaina joined him walking through the temple.

"The Council has never liked it when my sister and I work together. When they wanted me train a padawan, I convinced them to let Kelly train one also. Now, they're trying to push something else on me that will separate us even more."

"What are you talking about?"

"On Tatooine, Kelly and I didn't have much of a family life. It made us closer. We stuck up for each other. Now, the Council is trying to pull us apart because we are too 'unpredictable' together. I have always held the Council in such high esteem, but they are starting to push my trust a little beyond its limit."

(Anakin)

The padawan and his 'keeper', as he thought of Kelly-Fyn at the moment, had just finished explaining the situation to Chancellor Palpatine in his office, standing next to the window.

"I will talk with her," the man was replying. "Senator Amidala will not refuse an executive order. I know her well enough to assure you of that."

"Thank you, your Excellency," the boy said. Kelly courteously muttered her own thanks. He had to admit, it was a bit strange how the young woman seemed so uptight around the Council, yet totally opposite around the Chancellor…what was he thinking? He was exactly the same.

"So, they've finally given you an assignment. Your patience has paid off."

"Your guidance more than my patience."

"I might say the same thing," Kelly-Fyn suddenly added as they turned from the window.

"You don't need guidance, either of you," Palpatine countered. "In time, you will learn to trust your feelings. Then, you will be invincible. I have said it many times: you two are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met."

"Thank you, your Excellency," both of the young people replied.

"I see you becoming the greatest of all Jedi, Anakin…even more powerful than Master Yoda."

"And what of me?" the girl queried, faking hurt feelings, though a smile played on the edge of her lips.

"As I have said before, Kelly, the Jedi may call Anakin the Chosen One for his immense potential, but you remind me of Sheba Bladerunner. She was so talented with the lightsaber that the order, who then did not officially accept women, allowed her anyway…and she eventually defeated and killed the most 'attuned' Enduring Warrior on record."

"I have not heard of this before, your Excellency," Anakin interjected. "Who was the…Enduring Warrior that…Bladerunner defeated?"

"Her name was Turanga Silvereyes, named for her supposedly stunningly beautiful eyes. No one could have compared with Sheba, however, in beauty or talent, whatever the records may say."

"Why did she kill Turanga?"

"Because Turanga encouraged the rebellion and had to be eliminated," Kelly put in. Apparently, she had heard the tale told a number of times. "However, your Excellency, you never told me what happened to her in the end. I read that no Enduring Warrior lived past a hundred due to…not-so-natural causes."

"No one really knows what happened to Sheba," the Chancellor replied, giving them a sidelong look. "…She could have died shortly after her duel with Turanga due to wounds from it, assassinated, or…she could still be alive today. I have my own theories, of course. No matter, we will forget that for now, and bring it up later."

"It was a pleasure talking with you, Chancellor."

"The pleasure is all mine."

(Elaina)

With settled nerves, the girl strode beside Yoda down the temple halls. Both Masters Yoda and Windu had caught up with the temporary partners not long after their departure from the Council. Consequently, they were still talking, although Elaina did not mind even one bit.

"I am concerned for my padawan," her crush was saying. "He is not ready to be given this assignment on his own, yet."

"The Council is confident in its decision, Obi-Wan," the green Jedi countered.

"The boy has exceptional skills," the darker toned man added.

"But he still has much to learn, Master," the male Knight complained. "His abilities have made him, well…arrogant."

"Yes," Yoda agreed, "a flaw more and more common among the Jedi. Too sure of themselves they are…even the older, more experienced ones."

"Remember, Obi-Wan," Windu went on, "if the prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only one who can bring the Force back into balance."

"Master," the younger man further probed, "what exactly are the 'Enduring Warriors'? I confess that I have already closely studied what there is in the archives; however, even that extensive knowledge seems to barely scratch the surface of what they were…are."

-Well, for a second there, I was afraid that he had forgotten I was here-

"Don't you think you should ask Elaina and Kelly-Fyn about that?"

"I have…"

"Actually," the woman interrupted, satisfactorily getting Obi-Wan to give her a slightly startled look, "he has only questioned whether I rightfully joined the order. He has never even hinted at asking me about my…legendary traits…not that I would want him to do so. If Kelly wants to tell him, let her; but I will not tell one of my most cherished secrets to someone who has hardly revealed anything about himself to me."

-…purposefully…otherwise, I have studied the way he walks, talks, jokes, etc. Maybe it wouldn't be impossible. I'll have to come to terms with my feelings one way or the other at some point-

Yoda, thankfully, backed her on that one…the Enduring Warrior topic, of course.

"Respect Elaina's wishes in this you must, Obi-Wan. Ask Kelly-Fyn if wish you do, but a more tender subject for some this is than appearances cause it to seem," he said, glancing at Elaina.

It was strange, his curiosity as to her…birthright, or whatever it could be called. As the group continued walking on down the hall without really noticing her absence, a thought dawned on her. Being Enduring Warriors, if either she or her sister attained Obi-Wan's attention romantically in any serious way, he would do something that they would not for at least a century: age…unless, of course, they were different than their predecessors in that aspect…hopefully. Longevity might become something far from a gift: a scourge, a curse.

Short, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Please review!


	14. Separation and Anxiety

Thanks Kit9888 and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

Author's Note: From now on, I'm going to just put dashes (like what I do for major scene changes) for the p.o.v. changes. Thank you for Kit9888 for the idea!

Separation and Anxiety

"I'm taking an extended leave of absence," Padme was saying to the ecstatic Gungan in the anteroom of her quarters while Anakin and Kelly stared out the window in the senator's bedroom. "It will be your responsibility to take my place in the Senate. Representative Binks, I know I can count on you."

"Mesa honored to accept this-a heavy burden," Jar-Jar humbly replied. "Mesa accept this with moi-moi humility and, uh…"

"Jar-Jar, I do not wish to hold you up. I'm sure you have a great deal to do."

"Of course," he concluded, bowing, "me lady."

As the Gungan departed, Padme briskly walked back to her room to finish packing.

"I do not like this idea of hiding."

"Don't worry," Anakin responded as his Jedi companion, leaning against the doorway, whisked a small metal ornamental ball away from near the window, using the Force, and twirling it around in the air. "Now that the Council has ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan and Elaina long to find this bounty hunter."

"I haven't worked for a year to defeat the Military Creation Act to not be here when its fate is decided."

"Sometimes we have to let go of our pride and do what is requested of us."

"Anakin…you've grown up."

"Master Obi-Wan manages not to see it," the padawan stated, going back towards his temporarily abandoned post by the window. Kelly-Fyn made a point of simply observing the conversation. She noticed that, in their separate ways, all three of the people present were somehow similar. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, using the Force to snatch the ball away from Kelly, receiving a death glare for the steal, "Obi-Wan is a great mentor…as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu…probably equal to Elaina in both. I am truly thankful to be his apprentice. In some ways…allot of ways…I'm really ahead of him. I'm ready for the trials, but he feels that I'm too unpredictable. He won't let me move on."

Somewhere in the middle of this speech, Kelly snatched back the ball.

"That must be frustrating…"

"It's worse! He's overly critical, he never listens. He doesn't understand! It's not fair!"

Though she tried to stay neutral in every way possible, the girl noted that she was perfectly able to relate to the boy's problems.

"All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like," the senator was replying as she continued going back and forth in her effort to pack her things. "It's the only way we grow."

Sighing and sitting on the bed, Anakin replied,

"I know."

Suddenly, the politician was once again the meek and understanding girl that had seemed to disappear for a while.

"Anakin, don't try to grow up too fast."

At that, the Knight slipped out of the room and into the foyer. Even though they tried to deny it, mainly Padme of course, a relationship was blooming between those two beyond friendship. It hurt to think of love when it involved Jedi. They were pathetically forbidden to fall in love and yet…love was what consumed her, fed her…she lived in the hope that one day love would visit her. And it had: in the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man of her dreams…but she was not the only one in love with him. Her sister loved him as well and it would feel wrong to not give her an equal chance for that emotion to reach its full potential. But, if given that chance, she would defy the Council and any other force standing in her way to grasp the single thing she wanted more than anything…however, she wouldn't leave her sister behind to do it. They were a team and nothing, even the man they both loved, would get in their way.

She only hoped that Elaina felt the same. With this comment, she snorted at the speeders in the city below. Of course Elaina thought the same, if not more so. Didn't she know her sister well enough to at least guess that? Maybe she didn't. Maybe Elaina would take advantage of her chance. Wait. If she did, it would be what she herself suggested: first to the finish. At the moment, the older twin had that advantage. But Kelly loved him; there was no denying it any more. And certain circumstances gave her an advantage. The next time she had the chance, she would tell him.

"Kelly," Padme suddenly addressed her from the bedroom doorway. She was hefting a large suitcase in an unspoken plea for help, which the Knight willingly gave. "What's wrong?"

The woman raised a thin, arched, dark eyebrow before replying,

"Nothing's wrong. Just thinking…"

"Something serious by how intently you were staring out the window."

"No, I'm fine," she answered, grabbing her cloak from the couch, where it had been since the night before.

--

Most of the trip to the refugee transport was spent mainly with the sisters, Padme, and Anakin teasing each other; and, however hard he apparently tried to stay out of it, Obi-Wan became the target of some of these musings. The older girl found it amusing that she and the handsome Knight were picked on for many of the same things, consequently teaming up together against the other three with more serious offences prepared: for instance, when Anakin's "team" chose to verbally throw fear of flying at the duo, they retaliated with irrationality. Captain Typho and Dorme, Padme's decoy, simply sat on the sidelines and thoughtfully observed the entertainment. Once at the transport station, the revelry was forced to cease as the door opened and the departing group hefted the Senator's three bags. As Padme was concluding her farewells to her two friends, Obi-Wan, standing beside Elaina, addressed his padawan.

"Anakin, don't do anything without first contacting either myself or the Council."

"Yes, Master," the boy replied. He then moved to speak with the senator.

"Elaina and I will get to the bottom of this plot quickly, m'Lady. You'll be back here in no time."

"I will be most grateful for your speed, Master Jedi."

While the two male Jedi exchanged "Force-be-with-you's", as Kelly always called them, the twins simply held eye contact for a moment. Probably both of them knew that prolonging the departure would simply make it harder. They had hardly seen each other for five years after being practically inseparable for over twenty. Life wasn't fair…but, then again, it never was. She was stuck with the man she cared for more than anything (except her sister), but she still had to hold true to the Jedi laws. Only the most extraordinary of circumstances could change that, however much she wanted it. She watched as the trio, along with R2-D2, walked away. Anakin said something that made them all smile, but it was Kelly who sent them laughing.

Obi-Wan and Captain Typho then flanked Elaina on either side in the doorway of the transport.

"I do hope he doesn't try anything foolish," the Jedi worried.

"I'd be more concerned about her doing something," Typho countered, "than him."

Having one of her extremely sarcastic moments, the girl added,

"Three of the most unpredictable people in the galaxy together on one mission…some unforeseeable things are bound to happen!" As the men, plus Padme's handmaid, went back to their seats, she continued to muse. "I wonder if the Council did that on purpose."

"Elaina," Obi-Wan addressed her. Turning to him, the woman studied his features for at least the hundredth time since they were reunited. He seemed to notice and cleared his throat, though she simply continued her survey, shifting the potential embarrassment to the other Jedi. Shockingly, it worked and he cleared his throat again, but for a slightly different reason.

"What is it, Obi-Wan?"

"After we arrive at the temple, I was thinking that we could split up for a while, cover more ground."

"Alright, what are you going to do?"

"Check on the origin of the dart used to kill that Changeling assassin. What about you?"

"I have some of my own research to do. It may take a while."

"Very well…I'll meet you back at the archive terminals."

"That is where I will be, anyway."

"Really?"

--

About half an hour later, the Jedi was sitting in a diner, confiding in an old friend of his concerning the dart.

"Cloners? Are they friendly?"

"Well, that depends," the grimy, four-armed alien replied.

"Depends on what, Dex?"

"On how good your manners are…how big your pocketbook is…" With this, he chuckled for a moment with an almost wicked air before he spoke again. "So, I hear that you've been coupled up with your equal. About time!"

"Sometimes you utterly confuse me, Dex. What are you talking about?"

"You didn't think you were the only one who seeks information from me now and then, did you?"

"You still have not answered my question."

"About five years ago, a pretty little female human Jedi came to me…said she had tracked me down, but refused to say how. Anyway, she was on a mission and needed my help. I can't divulge exactly what the mission was…you know how that works…I helped her and we became good friends since then. A little push in that direction may have been when she single-handedly threw a bunch of drunks out of my diner. They were ready to cause all sorts of trouble."

"I remember that incident. The men were arrested and the person responsible for alerting the authorities was never found…but you said then that you didn't know who helped you."

"Well, in a sense, I didn't, in a manner of speaking. I probably would have helped her anyway, though…she didn't seem like the type you wanted to cross when she's that determined."

"Dex, you never cease to surprise me."

"Good thing, too. Otherwise, you would eventually have no reason to ask me for help."

"Now, back to my original question: who were you talking about?"

"Didn't you get the hint? The single person who seems to equal you in every possible way…" Obi-Wan was simply more confused, but he made a wild guess at the risk of seeming foolish.

"Elaina Kalonya?"

"I knew you would eventually get it! You're lucky for a human, I'll give you that," Dex finalized with a wink.

"Oh, you don't mean…we aren't…"

"You want my advice?" the alien went on confidentially. "Don't waste your chance and, for once, forget about those laws you seem so worried about."

"Dex, Elaina and I are not…"

"Save your breath! I've got customers to serve!"

--

"Hello, Elaina," Obi-Wan addressed the girl a little while later in the Jedi temple library. The supposedly great and knowledgeable Enduring Warrior was hunched over, seated in front of a computer terminal with her eyebrows knit together in deep thought and worry. She did not seem to be paying attention to him even as he sat down at the opposite terminal to research Kamino. A minute later, she stirred and hit a few buttons, muttering,

"No, this can't be right…"

"What is the matter?" He still couldn't believe Dex's assumption. Yes, they were similar, and yes, she was pretty…but what else made his friend think such things?

"…nothing," the woman absentmindedly replied, punching a few more buttons with deliberate fortitude and continuing to whisper under her breath. "…how did this get here?"

"Have you found anything?"

"I have found evidence that the Sith somehow has or had access to the archive. There is some information that should not be here."

"What sort of…" Obi-Wan cut his question off as the terminal showed no records of Kamino. Several minutes of widening his range of searching went by, but nothing came up. With that, he hit a com button nearby and asked for assistance. Standing, he turned to study the bronze bust of Count Dooku close to the terminals, hoping to find some answer in the lifeless eyes of the renegade. "What do you think he is really like?"

Not looking away from her work (whatever it was), Elaina raised her voice a bit to answer.

"A fugitive, like all the others who abandoned their responsibilities and defied the Council."

"You're more dedicated than I first thought, Elaina."

"What made you think otherwise?"

"Well, you can't be around your sister all the time and not be affected." At that, Elaina hit a button a little harder than normal and stood.

"Here we go again. Obi-Wan, I am not my sister, no matter what you, the Council, or any of the other Jedi may think. From the way the Council keeps shoving promotions onto my already-full plate, you would think that they knew that by now, but no. Just because Kelly and I are twins and practically inseparable up until the time we took padawans, does not mean we are the same. You just don't get it, do you? You want to more about Enduring Warriors? I'll tell you. Ever since my kind, as you could call it, was discovered, it was noticed that while one would be serious and more focused with the Force, the next would be more flippant and capable with the lightsaber. Whatever you may be thinking, it was not reincarnation or any of that nonsense; however, they always seemed to alternate between those two personalities. It also turned out that while the former type always seemed to side with the order, the latter was more vulnerable to being turned to the Dark Side….so, don't mind if I am a bit protective over my sister and the only person anywhere who can fully understand me."

After the rant, she simply sat back down and continued her "research." Obi-Wan was in shock. Yes, he had heard her spit out her opinion with somewhat surprising fervor, but never had she seemed so irritated, yet composed at the same time. Not once in that speech had she raised her volume or displayed outward anger; however, the intensity of her sing-song voice was enough to get the message across.

Suddenly, the elderly Archivist was standing next to him.

"Did you call for assistance?" she asked.

"Yes," the man replied, "…yes, I did…"

"Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?"

Going to the terminal, his focus back where it needed to be, he brought his failed search back to the light.

"Yes, I'm trying to find a planet system called Kamino. It doesn't seem to show up on any of the archive charts."

"Kamino…it's not a system I am familiar with…Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"

"According to my information, it should be in this quadrant here, just south of the Rishi Maze."

"I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist."

"That's impossible…perhaps the archives are incomplete."

"If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist!" the woman haughtily stated before walking away.

Leaning back in his seat, Obi-Wan half-despairingly asked,

"Anything useful, Elaina?"

Prior to any real reply, a few more buttons were quickly pressed along with a couple of muttered and indecipherable words from the other side of the terminal. Elaina then stood and walked over to Obi-Wan's side.

"Nothing of consequence to our mission…having problems?"

"Is an answer really necessary?"

"No, not really…maybe Master Yoda can help us."

The man internally growled. For some reason, his companion's use of the word "us" brought back the nagging question of why his friend would suspect him and the talented young woman being…romantically involved.

--

"It must be difficult having sworn your life to the Jedi," Padme was saying to Anakin. The two denying lovers sat across from each other with a makeshift box/table between them, while Kelly sat on the floor behind the senator, leaning against one of the boxes with her eyes closed, yet altogether failing to get any sleep. Meanwhile, the younger girl continued. "…not being able to visit the places you like…or do the things you like…"

"Or be with the people I love?" Anakin interrupted.

"Are you allowed to love? I thought that was forbidden for a Jedi."

Kelly-Fyn was about to put her opinion up for examination, but the man beat her to it.

"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life…so, you might say we're encouraged to love."

The pretending-to-sleep Jedi softly clapped at the statement.

"You've changed so much."

"You haven't changed a bit. You're exactly the way I remember you in my dreams."

~Ooh…that might be pushing it a bit~

Sure enough, there was an awkward moment until Kelly rose and sat on top of the crate beside Padme. The politician did a double take before settling for staring at her hair.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Kelly. What happened to your hair? Wasn't it brown and somewhat long the last time I saw you…ten years ago, that is?"

A smile tugged at Anakin's lips. He had heard the story before. After satisfactorily glaring at the boy, Kelly decided to go ahead and narrate the little incident.

"About six years ago, Ahsoka, my padawan, and I were on a mission to sift out these scientists who were doing a little illegal experimentation that had something to do with luckily minor gene manipulation. We caught them in the act, but one of the scientists was stupid enough to try poking Ahsoka with a needle (a pitiful defense). I used the Force to get him away from her, but then, when I was busy trying to properly rig the door of the main lab to blow open and Ahsoka was not looking, he grabbed another one and caught me off guard. Luckily for me, he didn't grab the one he wanted and all it did, as far as our physicians can tell, was change my hair color. I simply got used to it and styled it to better fit the new look."

"Tell her what went wrong with the mission," Anakin mischievously urged.

"I was going to leave that out…While I was distracted, the previously perfectly set charge went off at the wrong time and place. Within an hour, the whole building had collapsed…with no one in it, of course."

"You have such an adventurous and fun life," Padme said. "I almost feel jealous."

Kelly paused. Did the senator and former queen of Naboo just say that she was jealous?

"Why? Every sentence in the Code is one of the hardest laws to live up to…most of us just forget about some of them, with good consequences most of the time."

"On the way to the transport, you all seemed so happy and carefree."

"Only on the outside, Padme. Being a Jedi is not as easy as it sounds."

With that, she shared an understanding look with Anakin. Both of them knew what a Jedi had to go against for even minimal happiness…at least when they were rebellious and independent like Anakin or herself.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	15. 2 Women, 1 Man, Varying Distances

Thanks Kit9888, Katie Ladmoore, and Ahsoka 14 for your reviews!

2 Women, 1 Man, Varying Distances

Obi-Wan briskly walked through the main hallway of the Jedi temple towards the room where Master Yoda was in the process of training a class of younglings. He had no idea where Elaina, his supposed partner, was since she had left him still puzzling over the computer terminal at the other end of the gigantic building. For all he knew, the girl was waiting for him in the training area, patient as ever. To Obi-Wan, the older Enduring Warrior was a massive puzzle behind a mask of strong loveliness. Kelly-Fyn, on the other hand, he had been able to figure out for the most part on the mission they had gone on together several years before.

He was trying to decipher the possible whereabouts of Elaina even as he spoke with Yoda and the younglings dimmed the shades. The children were truly amazing. They were so innocent and unaffected by the troubles of the universe. His concentration was not fully brought back to where it needed to be until the hologram of the known star systems was already projecting and he looked for where Kamino was supposed to be.

"It ought to be…here, but it isn't. Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot."

"Hmm," the Jedi Master hummed, turning to his trainees. "Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets disappeared they have. How can this be? A thought? Anyone?"

"Master?" a little boy began, gaining the adults' attention. "Because someone erased it from the archive memory." With that comment, Yoda gave one of his grandfatherly laughs.

"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is. The padawan is right. Go to the center of gravity's pull and find your planet you will."

Suddenly, a new speaker joined the conversation.

"Yes, children are quite remarkable."

"Mistress Elaina!" the younglings cried. The girl then proceeded to walk a few steps forward before kneeling down among the thronging little crowd, who began bombarding her with dozens of questions on ten different subjects. Her eyes were practically sparkling with rare joy as the still-chuckling Master and Obi-Wan stepped out of the doorway.

"The data must have been erased," the short Jedi stated.

"But Master Yoda," the man countered, "who could empty information from the archives? That's impossible, isn't it?"

"Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files. But who…and why? Harder to answer…"

"Elaina was saying something about the Sith having access to the archives."

"Though not incredibly knowledgeable of technology Elaina may be, surprisingly perceptive she is. If she is correct, more careful we must be."

"You do not even question her perception in this matter?"

"He he! Question her perception? Master Obi-Wan…having personally trained dear Elaina, know her abilities fairly well do I. Meditate on this I will."

With that conversation concluded, the duo looked back towards the woman in question, still being verbally harassed by the overjoyed children. One of the younglings then proceeded to whisper something in her ear, to which she reacted with a nervous laugh and a faltering of her smile as her eyes wandered to Obi-Wan. She was indeed incredible with the novices. They were drawn to her like a magnet. But what had the child said to receive such a reaction that the girl excused herself from their presence and approached the man with slightly flushed cheeks and her smile still lingering, though she seemed otherwise composed?

It was shocking how opposite the twins were from each other. Except for how well they read each other's emotions, no one would outwardly suspect that they were related. One was tall, the other short. One had tanned skin and dark hair, the other, pale skin and light brown hair; very similar to Anakin's in color except for the golden sheen…and the ever-changing strip.

While she had been giving her lecture in the library, it was black, but with the padawans and at that moment…it wasn't even there. It was simply part of her hair. His puzzlement with her dialogue had kept him from processing the peculiarity until that moment. And then there was Kelly…Fyn. Though her eyes seemed to have an uncountable number of colors they seemed to be able to shift to, whenever he saw her, they were almost always a soft green. She had explained their meanings to him once, but he hadn't been listening.

"So, where are we off to next?" Elaina asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"To find Kamino," he replied. At this, the girl pursed her lips in distaste. "What is it?"

"That means flying, doesn't it?"

"Yes, unfortunately…why?"

"Nothing…I suppose facing one's dislikes is part of the Jedi job description."

--

Less than a day had passed since leaving Coruscant, and Kelly-Fyn was already missing Elaina and Obi-Wan. As much as she was ashamed to admit it, however, her longing for her own sister's company was dwarfed by how much she wished for the presence of the man she loved…yes, loved. At first, all those years ago, it had only amounted to what could be called a crazed obsession. But it had grown and expanded to much, much more than that. In fact, she had to avoid letting herself completely reminisce; otherwise, she would start laughing with pure longing, consequently getting a flood of half curious, half concerned questions from Padme. Anakin, on the other hand, seemed to completely understand and refrained from making any comment.

From observance, Kelly had gathered that the boy was just as lovesick for the senator as she was for Obi-Wan. It sadly made her wish for the Knight even more, pushing her concern for Elaina almost to the back of her mind. When she did, it only made her needlessly worry that the older twin was taking advantage of the situation. Perhaps giving her that chance was a mistake…

They had finally arrived at Naboo, taken a transport to the palace, and were walking down the hall. As Padme and Anakin, carrying two of the senator's bags, strolled in front, the older girl stayed a few steps behind with R2, easily lugging the third case. With the padawan reveling in his chance to be around Padme, Kelly had taken up a habit of chatting with the droid, having learned over time what his many beeps and whistles meant without any instruction book needed. The machine was actually quite fun to be around.

"I forgot how beautiful this place was, R2," she said to the robot, who whistled contentedly in reply. "It's definitely better without droids and soldiers running around. Hey, where are you going?" R2 had suddenly turned off of the path. The other two noticed the irregularity and were clearly trying to hold back a few giggles.

"You're supposedly here to protect me, and yet you can't even keep track of a single little droid," Padme jokingly stated before taking the bag from Kelly, ignoring her short protests. "Knowing R2, he probably just wants to show you something. Don't worry. We'll meet up with you later." Grumbling under her breath, the Jedi trotted after the runaway, who was whistling to himself somewhere down the long hallway. After catching up, she asked,

"Where are we going, R2? Can't you at least give me a hint?"

Before she could ask any more questions, they reached the entrance of another hallway to the right. Lining the right side of the torch-lit passage seemed to be life-sized marble statues of each queen of Naboo in its history. Opposite from those were smaller figurines which were sitting on tables of dark polished wood. They usually depicted more than one person. Sometimes they were fighting an unseen foe; while at other times, they seemed to be posing for a picture. As she slowly walked by each of them, reading the inscriptions and studying the perfectly detailed, sometimes stern and sometimes joyful, faces of the queens to the right and the others on the left, Kelly gathered that the alternate figures opposite the monarchs were groups or individuals who had done something significant during that particular queen's reign.

Coming to the last and most recent regal sculpture, the woman halted to examine the face. It was sweet and kind, but also sad. The label read: Queen Amidala, beloved and kind leader of the people. It was surprisingly accurate, however lifeless it may have been.

R2's persistent whistle then brought her attention to behind her at the opposing statuette. There were five figures, the tallest of which stood at about two feet. It was a man with shoulder-length hair, a set jaw, and powerful build; he was holding an engaged lightsaber in preparation for an unforeseeable attack. In front of him was a small, sweet-looking boy, standing as if he would race into battle if not for the man's free hand on his shoulder. About two inches to the tall man's right was another, somewhat shorter one. His hair was cut short with a long, thin braid coming from behind his right ear. He had a lightsaber held with both hands out in front of him, his gentle face grim with determination.

Between him and the tallest figure was a pant-wearing woman with shoulder-length hair and a lightsaber in her hands also; however, it was pointed downwards in idle waiting. Her smirking face was slightly turned towards the shorter man. Finally, there was a second girl on the other side of the first female's center of attention, a bit shorter than the other one and with longer hair. Unlike the other three like her, she was not holding a lightsaber, although two were evident on her belt. Instead, she was slightly more forward than her companions, her arms held somewhat away from her sides, as if to somehow protect her friends with a less destructive method, though the action went unnoticed it seemed, and her face was a blank slate emotion-wise. Remaining pieces of battle droids were scattered around their feet.

Having concluded the fine-detailed analysis, the observer noted the identities of the people depicted: Qui-Gon, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Kelly-Fyn, and Elaina, respectively. Kelly had never imagined that she would really be honored by a statue, but then it dawned on her about the meanings of the twins' appearances. She herself was ready and waiting for action, but always thinking of Obi-Wan. Elaina's statue even seemed to be harder to translate, however. Whatever she had been thinking at the time the artist decided to depict her was impossible to definitely point out; although, outwardly, the girl seemed to be defending all of her group in general.

What was she thinking? Kelly knew what…probably about Obi-Wan: the man they both loved. It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. The next time she saw him, there would be no chance because Elaina would have already taken hers. She continued subconsciously growling about her own stupidity until she found herself in the throne room, where she had found her sister on her knees and apparently injured from torture all those years ago.

"_Kelly, Qui-Gon's in trouble! Hurry!" Quick as lightening, the young Knight snatched her weapons from the droid close by and raced out of the room, gunshots whizzing by her head._

It had been that day on which their dear Qui-Gon had died…because she, Kelly-Fyn, followed orders rather than instinct. But, then again, she knew that wasn't true. She had been torn between protecting her sibling and…

"Ah, Kelly," Padme addressed her as she stood beside the present queen, "about time you showed up. Are you ready for a little lake retreat?"

Anakin, standing slightly to side, was clearly not happy with the idea; however, he was probably just sulking about…something.

--

Still in hyperspace, both Elaina and Obi-Wan shared a mutual enjoyment of intermittent silence. They had only spoken twice (and only for a few minutes) during the entire six-hour trip. Stirring herself from an hour's worth of rest, the girl cleared her throat and stared out the window.

"At least you are not a loud sleeper," her companion noted casually. Elaina wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Luckily, neither my sister nor I have that trait. We may be incredibly opposite of each other in many ways, but there are a few things we have in common."

"Here we are."

The woman looked past Obi-Wan's shoulder, watching the planet's approach and listening her friend's always captivating voice as he chatted with the R4 unit on their ship. Inside Kamino's atmosphere was nothing but ocean and pouring rain. It was surprising that they were even able find the stilt-supported city in the constant flood of waves. She cringed at all of the water. Yes, she loved water…but drowning was her least favorite idea of dying, for the record.

After landing the little two-seated starfighter, the man hopped out, soon followed by his wary companion. Robes tightly wrapped around themselves, the Jedi made their way to a glass door, which slid open as soon as they were in proximity. Both Knights were surprised to be met by an incredibly tall and thin, white and blue alien. There was no sign that their visit was unwanted. In fact, it seemed quite the opposite.

"Master and Mistress Jedi," she (apparently) addressed them, "the Prime Minister is expecting you."

"We're expected?" Obi-Wan asked, barely containing his clear shock.

"Of course! He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way."

As the alien began leading them down the long, white corridor, the companions shared a confused and concerned look before masking their emotions. For a split second, Elaina was distracted by the man's shockingly-handsome-as-usual looks before mentally kicking herself.

-That is exactly why romantic relationships do not work with Jedi. They're distracting-

Ever since departing from Coruscant, she had been trying to convince herself to not fall in love with Obi-Wan. Unfortunately, it had already happened and there would be no stopping it. Either she would have to eventually confess her feelings, or never see the man again. The second idea, whether or not she wanted it, was actually impossible if she wanted to stay under the radar.

It was then that they entered a fairly large room, white like everything else. Another one of the aliens was sitting in a strange, slanting chair which was supported from the ceiling.

"May I present Lama Su," the escort introduced with flowing gestures, "Prime Minister of Kamino…and this is Master Jedi…"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," the man finished.

"…and Mistress Jedi…" Elaina then realized that the attention was centered on her.

"…Elaina Kalonya," she put in.

"I trust you are going to enjoy your stay. Please…," the Prime Minister added prior to motioning to a pair of seats that had just appeared from the ceiling and lowered to the Knights' specific heights. "And now, to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are…on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with a million more well on the way."

"That's…good news," Obi-Wan responded, clearly trying to go along with it.

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time."

Elaina was just as confused as her friend, though he was doing well with suppressing it.

"I'm sorry…Master…?"

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?"

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago."

"Oh…I'm so sorry to hear that, but I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."

"The army?"

"Yes, a clone army…and I must say one the finest we've ever created."

"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my Master Sifo-Dyas first contacted you about the army, did…did he say who it was for?"

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."

"That's…why I'm here."

As they then were escorted out of the room, Elaina, having listened to every single word of the conversation, shot a glance at her partner. It hopefully registered as worry; however, even she couldn't tell if that emotion actually came across. She had simply grown so used to hiding her emotions over the years that it took some effort to ignore what could be called her auto-pilot, in terms that Kelly would fully understand. However it came across, Obi-Wan simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "Just play along with it." Unfortunately, he was occasionally even harder to read than herself.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	16. Memories

Thanks Kit9888 and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

Author's Note: I have read several stories where the author matches up songs with certain scenes. On that note, I'm going to try doing that here and there…I can't specifically say how often, but probably about one or two in a chapter…it depends on what scenes I actually have the time and brains to play match-maker with. I just think that the songs sort of intensify the emotion of whatever's going on at that particular time. ;) Anyway, just thought I'd let all of you know. Hope you enjoy it! And please feel free to give your opinions…

Going along with the song/scene thing…I thought that Celine Dion's "In His Touch" could go well with Kelly's p.o.v./thoughts of the past, probably starting with the third "part" of the flashback in this chapter.

Memories

Having insisted on rushing ahead on a faster waterspeeder, Kelly-Fyn was already waiting and watching the lake while the sun began to get lower on the horizon as Anakin and Padme arrived at the lake retreat. The padawan had simply removed the peasant-like poncho to once again look normal; however, the senator was completely changed into a light, back-revealing dress that made her look more beautiful than ever. Once up the stairs and on the terrace, the younger girl queried,

"I suppose that you've decided that it's safe, Kelly?"

The Jedi simply breathed her assent as the couple passed by her towards the other end of the porch on another lookout. They were perfect for each other, perfect opposites…just like herself and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"_So…why exactly did Anakin and I have to come with you?" the breathtaking man queried as they landed in a small docking facility on Centax-1, one of Coruscant's four moons that had not quite been heavily inhabited._

_While checking her gun, Kelly, still in the pilot seat, casually looked up at Obi-Wan, who was sitting across from her, and the padawan directly behind him in another chair. Both seemed utterly confused. She couldn't blame them. She was the one who had requested their help and even she was not fully knowledgeable of the situation._

"_Didn't the Council brief you on what we know so far?" she asked in turn._

"_Why isn't Elaina here? Shouldn't you ask your sister for help before us?" Anakin quickly further noted._

"_I did. But, she happens to be at the other end of the galaxy with __her__ padawan and her own problems at the moment."_

"_Where is your padawan?" the other Knight questioned, delving deeper into the bit of information the girl had._

"_Well, that's the problem." Receiving nothing but blank stares, she decided to go on. "Yesterday, Ahsoka and I were supposed to meet in the training field for me to teach her a few more complex techniques with the lightsaber. When she didn't show up, I went to her quarters, only to find her things thrown around, but no other sign of her…except for this." At that, Kelly handed a small piece of crinkled and browned paper to the men. It was a ransom note: Ahsoka for Kelly-Fyn, signed "G.S."_

"_Who is…'G.S.'?"_

"_Garris Shrike, a young bounty-hunter who hasn't really emerged from the shadows for several years, though the government has been keeping tabs on him a bit. He owns a small base here, but the government is waiting for the opportunity to evict him…at least."_

_By that time, they had exited the small ship and were traversing the maze of stone and metal buildings and narrow alleyways that made up the settlement. _

"_Why would he want to come after your padawan?"_

"…_to get to me. When Elaina and I were still partners, we ended up running into that bounty hunter…let's just say that my dear sister did a few things that definitely left their mark and a grudge…a big one. Last year, I caught him trying to put a tracker on Elaina's ship just before one of her missions and chased him off. Now, he has a grudge against me and is holding Ahsoka hostage until I 'turn myself in'. That's why you two…where's Anakin?" The boy had disappeared. Suddenly, Kelly heard a slight hum. When she tried walking forward further, she hit what seemed to be some sort of shield…and everything went black._

_--_

"_Oh…dear!" the woman exclaimed as she awoke on a hard metal floor in a dark room…probably a cell. _

"_Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked with genuine concern as he suddenly came from the shadows to help her stand and sit on the nearby bench._

"_Feel like I have a nail in the head!" she further complained as she put her pounding head in her hands._

"_Good, you still have your grating sarcasm. That must mean you are fine."_

"_Fine?! What do you mean 'fine'?! You…never mind. What happened?"_

"_They trapped us in a shield. You ran into it, it knocked you out, and here we are."_

_With that, the girl looked back up._

"_Do you care to more specific and less critical? Whatever…forget I said that." Another minute went by and Kelly couldn't stand the suspense. "Well! At any time now, some alien, bounty-hunter, or enemy of some sort is going to come in and gloat. And…queue the bad guys…now."_

_As if specifically summoned by the Knight, the door opened and Garris Shrike, along with two muscular guards, walked in…of course, to gloat._

"_Finally, the great and invincible Kelly-Fyn Kalonya is in my grasp," he stated with smug victory in his voice._

"_Let the others go," the young woman ordered, standing defiantly before their captor. "You have what you want, just let them go." She quite confused as the bounty simply laughed with pleasure._

"_No, no, no, no, my dear! You do not understand." With that, he began pacing around her and Obi-Wan. "At first, of course, I only wanted you for this part of my plan. You're two companions are only a bonus."_

_~Two companions?~_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You didn't think that I wanted to capture you just for chasing me away a year ago, did you? Ah, foolish girl! If word of your capture and torture alone reached the lovely ears of your twin, she would devise a plan that would end in my destruction. But three of her companions? I just can't wait until she is under my roof and I can repay her the small kindness she gave me."_

_When Shrike left with the door slamming shut and locking behind him, Obi-Wan lightly commented,_

"_Well, now we know what's going on. Next step, torture: my favorite. Oh, by the way, the scars on his face and arms…courtesy of your sister, I suppose?"_

"_Indeed…"_

_--_

"_Everyone always wonders what my eye colors mean," she was explaining an hour later. Having become bored with waiting for their impending doom, Obi-Wan had begun searching for an escape route while the girl babbled on from subject to subject, trying to think of anything but torture and death at the hands of a mad-man. "The truth is…it took me years to figure that out for myself even. Blue means I'm sad, red is angry, green is happy, and, on rare occasions, they turn purple if I'm really proud of something. It's actually quite handy sometimes to throw enemies off guard, but most of the time, it's just a giveaway. Elaina's little hair thing is black when she's angry and blond when she's sad. Most of the time, though, you…would you get down from there! You've been poking at that vent for ten minutes already!"_

_The man finally climbed down from his perch and sat down next to her._

"_You really don't like waiting, do you?"_

"_Hey, you haven't been very still either, hotshot."_

"_Sorry…"_

_Another minute passed and Kelly's emotions caught up with her._

"_We're not getting out of here, are we?" she asked sadly, turning to the handsome Jedi next to her and searching his face. She could see no flaw in it, nothing that could push aside the thoughts that invaded her mind and had been since she had led those "stocking" trips back during her days as a padawan. At that moment, he was so close. _

_His eyes could not deny the likelihood of their mutual demise. He seemed to know it and did not even try to give a pep talk to his frightened, yet enamored fellow inmate. "__Death has a curious way of reshuffling one's priorities," a wise philosopher had once said centuries before. It was true. Prior to that moment, she would have hardly thought of it; however, impending doom did slightly cancel whatever Jedi laws kept her from leaning forward just a few more inches._

_~Well, since we're dead anyway…~_

_Obi-Wan seemed to be thinking something similar. The space between them narrowed…three inches…two… She was lost in those honest, breath-taking eyes. His warm hand reached her cheek. Just as the girl was about to do what she had lightly fantasized about for years…the door opened and in came Anakin and Ahsoka. The Knights, meanwhile, jolted away from each other and stood to face their rescuers._

"_Did we miss something?" the male padawan lightly queried, though both had knowing mischievousness in their eyes._

"_Ahsoka, are you alright?" Kelly-Fyn questioned worriedly._

"_I'm fine," the young trainee answered with fake annoyance, "…thanks to Anakin."_

"_What about Shrike?"_

_Laughing, the boy replied,_

"_He's halfway to the Outer Rim, by now."_

All those years ago…they were so close. Now, the question was whether or not her love actually had feelings for her back then, or whether it had simply been on the spur of the moment. She snorted with disgust. If he didn't want her, fine.

~No, not fine~

She was split between following her heart and most likely getting kicked out of the Jedi order, or living a life of heartbroken disappointment as a Jedi, while the Council hardly even gave her credit for anything. It was always Elaina getting the attention and promotions, never her.

But the question at the present was: Did Obi-Wan, the man she cared for more than anything, love her or not? It was torture to not know. She didn't need him to specifically say anything, just to somehow show her that he cared…or didn't. Being the strong woman she was, Kelly denied any help or comfort most of the time; however, she needed this Knight, her Knight. In history, she had read about "knights in shining armor," though the meaning of it was lost over the years, for the most part, and had become a term for gallantry. If that was true, Obi-Wan Kenobi was her "knight in shining armor." If it was true that she was more prone to the Dark Side than her sister, she would need all the help available. She needed that love, but he needed to show her.

In fact, words would do neither of them any justice. Only actions would tell her the truth. The next time she saw him, only actions would she accept. By the time she came out of her fantasizing, her companions had already gone inside, leaving her to watch the sun sink even lower. Next time, she would make him tell the truth. Either she would win or lose in the competition with her older and more favored twin. Love would save her from Fate.

--

Elaina walked somewhat behind Obi-Wan and their escorts as they walked down a long, covered hallway. Through the glass could be seen thousands, perhaps millions of what appeared to be giant, hanging, glass jars with clone embryos within them. She found it horrifyingly…not interesting, just complex. The girl, never being one for much technology unlike her sister, simply found something…morally wrong with the whole cloning thing. Of course, for all she knew, the clones never thought, "gee, I'm a copy," which was the most likely case since they probably never got the chance.

All these thoughts raced through her mind as Lama Su walked along, bragging about how clones were "superior to droids." The fact was: anything was better than one of those fumbling robots. She proceeded to mentally list all the times the stupidity of droids had given her an advantage even as the hallway led them over another room filled with identical young men, all sitting at tables and eating. Of course, she did this while noting the important things said by the Prime Minister, such as the name of the "original host"; however, Elaina left the finer details for Obi-Wan to digest.

Nervousness crept up as they emerged onto a small balcony which overlooked the clone training area. There were thousands of them marching around, tens of thousands. Then doubt settled. She couldn't trust these copies on the battlefield with her life! Their allegiances might change at any point and she would be dead. That did her no good. She was no good to the order dead.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama Su opinionated as Elaina approached the other three on the balcony, staring wide-eyed at the marching mass of look-alike soldiers, all moving as one body in their specific exercises.

"If they fight, will they remain loyal to the Republic?" she doubtfully asked, receiving a withering glance from Obi-Wan.

"As I have already said," the Minister smoothly replied, "they are 'totally obedient, taking any order without question'."

-From which side, though?-

Taun We, who had left a moment before, suddenly returned.

"I have arranged a meeting for you with Jango in one hour, when he's available."

Why wasn't Elaina surprised with the suave alien's speed in the task? It was a creature she knew nothing about, of course. Anything could happen.

"Just the perfect amount of time for a few finer details of this tour…Master, Mistress Jedi, shall we?"

Holding back a bit as the Cloners began to retreat from the balcony, the girl whispered to Obi-Wan,

"If you do not mind, I am going to do a bit of perusing while you conclude the grand tour. Something seems suspicious about this whole thing."

"Are you sure that is a good idea, Elaina?" the man queried. "Something tells me we do not want to get on the bad side of these people."

"What? You didn't have a problem with it years ago when you fished through the information of Enduring Warriors. What happened to change your mind?"

"That's different…"

"Relax, Kenobi. If this bounty hunter really is our target, then we need to know as much about him as possible. That also goes for the locals. They may be in league with the assassination attempt."

"When did you start getting suspicious of everyone?"

"Since not doing so almost got me killed countless times."

With that, she walked back down the hall, leaving Obi-Wan to explain her departure. Though "perusing" was part of her reasoning for the exodus, the main part was that she didn't trust the Cloners, the way they bragged about their technology…and they were too perfect in their knowledge…there were many other, but unexplainable reasons for her doubts. Something was clouding her vision with the Force. Elaina knew she could use it, feel it, etc…but something was wrong.

Unlike usual, she couldn't sense the presence of the beings around very clearly, as if they were in a thick fog. She had felt the difference since Coruscant; however, she had failed to mention it since it had happened off and on over the years…but never for that long, never that constant. Yoda would know. He was approximately equivalent to Elaina with the Force, at least in talent. Otherwise, he was far beyond her in experience and knowledge.

Up until then, the Jedi had traversed the winding labyrinth considerably well. But then, she came to a crossing she didn't remember. Which way, which way? Right? No…maybe? Unfortunately, the infamous Knight, praised for her negotiating and Force skills, had a problem with, of all things, direction. As a child on Tatooine, her little sister had been obliged to come find her on the edge of town several times because she had gotten lost in the simple little village. During the several years between those incidents and their leaving the miniscule backward planet, Elaina had avoided leaving home or Watto's as much as possible to avoid further embarrassment.

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	17. One Love Blooms, Another Stagnates

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One Love Blooms, Another Stagnates

"I don't know," the beautiful senator sitting beside Anakin on the picnic blanket coyly said while picking at the emerald grass and twirling it in her fingers.

"Sure you do," boy countered, so enthralled by her that he almost completely ignored the gorgeous meadow around them. "You just don't want to tell me."

"Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?"

"No, they only work on the weak-minded."

"Alright...I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the Legislative Youth Program. He was a few years older than I…very cute, dark curly hair, dreamy eyes…"

"Alright, I get the picture," he interrupted, slight jealousy in the back of his mind. "Whatever happened?"

"I went into public service. He went on to become an artist."

"Maybe he was the smart one."

"You and Kelly really don't like politicians, do you?"

"I like two or three, but I'm not really sure about of them," Anakin slyly stated, giving Padme a side-long look.

"What about Kelly?"

The padawan looked over at the older girl standing some ways away staring at the waterfalls. He was ashamed to admit to even himself that he hadn't noticed her presence since the evening before. The past day, she had seemed thoughtful, reclusive, as if she was trying (and failing) to solve the most difficult problem of her life.

"I can't speak for Kelly; however, from what I've seen, she's about the same. She treats Palpatine like a grandfather…and I can see why…and she seems to get along with you rather well."

Her smile sent chills up his spine as she responded.

"I don't think I've had a potential friend like her in years. Ever since I became queen, everyone has acted strictly formal around me…even after I became a senator, few people ever acted like they were my friends…more just my personnel. People like you and Kelly make me actually feel human. That's one of the few things I find wrong with the system. The leaders they elect are pressured to the point of breaking, sometimes."

"I don't think the system works."

"How would you have it work?"

"We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problems, agree what's in the best interest of all the people, and then do it."

"That is exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don't always agree."

"Then they should be made to."

"By whom? Who's going to make them?"

"I don't know…someone."

"You?!"

"Of course not me!"

"But someone…"

"Someone wise."

"That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me."

"Well…if it works?"

Another one of her stunning smiles completely disarmed him.

"You're making fun of me!"

"Oh no, I'd be much too frightened to tease a senator."

The young man was just about to say something incredibly stupid when Kelly suddenly approached them.

"Ah, us and our 'perfect world' wishes! Come on, let's go have some fun!"

Confused, Anakin let the rather unJedi-like Knight pull him up and drag him towards a herd of giant flea-looking creatures with Padme following, giddily laughing at his position. When Kelly finally stopped, they were standing in front of two of the grazing animals, with her apparently using the Force to keep them from running off.

"I have a challenge for you," she stated, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Whoever loses is bantha fodder."

The padawan laughed out loud. He had heard that the Kalonya sisters had grown up on Tatooine, but it still surprised him whenever one of them used a term from the planet. Knowing precisely what the woman wanted, he replied,

"I accept your challenge, Mistress Kalonya."

With that, they each climbed onto the temporarily Force-controlled things. Anakin nearly fell off; however, as Kelly released her hold earlier than expected and sent her own steed galloping off through the beautiful meadow. It felt almost as if his own ride was being provoked to jump and buck as it did.

"Kelly, what are you doing?! Are you trying to get me killed?"

A laugh and indecipherable scoff was his only answer, so the boy decided to get a little payback while, at the same time, trying to continue balancing on the bouncing creature. With a slight yelp of surprise, she came tumbling down, somehow landing upright and instantly standing, protesting as she began running after him with Padme. He, meanwhile, started to simply laugh at his own genius before falling himself, rolling through the grass, and nearly being trampled. Resolving to pull a slight prank, Anakin simply stayed laying face-down in the grass, receiving sudden cries of alarm from the girls.

--

"Annie!" the Jedi cried, rushing with the senator towards the boy's prone form…however, her fear soon changed to mock anger when they turned him over, only to find him hysterically laughing. With fake fury of her own, Padme started hitting Anakin, who grabbed her arm to protect himself. They proceeded to roll through the grass in a pretend fight. Kelly was just about to go over and give the trainee a piece of her mind, but paused in mid-step as they stopped, Anakin on his back with Padme on top of him, still laughing at the act.

Another pang of heartache hit her. By that time, Elaina and Obi-Wan were inseparably in love. The younger twin wouldn't even have a chance of getting what she deserved more than anyone. Elaina was always more cared about, privileged. She still needed to know definitely, however. She couldn't go on ceaselessly wondering.

--

Evening had arrived as the trio finished eating supper. Kelly stood and walked over to the right-side window, watching the sunset. The other two, meanwhile, talked and laughed as they had been doing all day, seemingly completely ignorant to all the chaos ensuing around them: Kelly's relationship problems, the possibility of war, the dark side of the Force shrouding everything…at least, that's what the girl had heard. She, in fact, hardly noticed anything blocking her abilities. As if to prove her own point, she snatched a piece of fruit from Padme's plate with the Force, getting a dirty look for the steal.

"Now, Kelly," the younger woman began after a few minutes, "you aren't going to bed in those dusty rags again, are you?"

"First of all," the girl argued, "they are not dusty. Second, I've had these for less than a year. I had them custom made after my other clothes practically did turn to rags."

"Either way, you need something else to wear. I was thinking that this morning, so I got a few things for you. They're on my bed, so you can get them whenever you want. You are about my size…maybe a little taller, but not by much."

"In that case, I'll leave you now. I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

Fifteen minutes later, the Knight emerged from Padme's quarters, wearing the clothes the senator had given her: ankle-length, loose grey pants that looked like a skirt when she wasn't walking, a white, somewhat closefitting string-strap top, and a light blue robe to go over the whole thing.

Having removed her shoes, Kelly took great pleasure in the feel of the hard cold stone against her feet as she walked back out to the balcony and sat down on the cushioned bench near the railing. The night was cool and a soft, warm breeze was coming in from across the lake. The paradise-resembling land suited perfectly to calm her shot nerves. With the whole Obi-Wan problem, it had been difficult to think about anything else, even those haunting dreams she'd had; however, they seemed to have gone away for a while.

Luckily, only Elaina knew more than what she had told Obi-Wan and Anakin. Her older sister had always been there for her to wake her from the terrible nightmare. Sadly, she had once again had it the same night…or morning…they had made the agreement over who would get the handsome Knight they both loved.

…_she then took her last breath. There was nothing Kelly could but cry out in anguish. _

"_No! Mom! You can't leave me! Please…"_

"_Kelly," a voice called her, worry evident in it. At that, the girl frantically looked around, but no one was there except her deceased parent on the ground. "Kelly," the voice insisted, "wake up!"_

"_Ah!" she screamed, bolting upright in the bed, instantly being met by the motherly embrace of her older sibling. _

"_That dream again? I thought they went away for good."_

"_Apparently not," Kelly countered, wiping a single tear from her warm cheek. "I thought you were asleep or meditating or something."_

"_It is quite hard to do either with you talking and yelling in your sleep. Besides, I haven't much success in meditating…it's as if something is trying to stop me from seeing more than what is directly in front of me, literally and figuratively, if you are talking in terms of the Force. I can't see the future at all…of course, I have never had much success with that anyway. Apparently, I just need more experience…apparently. Anyway…half of the time also, I can feel that something or someone is somewhere, but I can't tell precisely where, if you get the idea. For instance, the room next to us. I know that Knight there likes going to bed early, so I know she is there, but I cannot specifically sense her."_

"_Relax, sis. I'm sure it's just a phase. You'll be back to being Miss Perfect in no time!"_

"_You of all people should know that I don't like being referred to as 'perfect'."_

"_Sorry…I suppose we all have our little issues, such as you getting half the people I know into the habit of calling me 'Kelly' and not 'Kelly-Fyn'."_

"_Oh, come on! We both know that you only changed your name like that to sound like Obi-Wan's."_

"_Dear sis, you're such a tease!"_

"_Hm, and I wonder who that rubbed off from."_

"_Very funny…"_

~Maybe I'll be able to sleep undisturbed tonight~

Ha, wishful thinking…

--

Literally hours had passed since Elaina's disappearance and the "tour's" end. For some reason, it had taken much longer than an hour to actually meet with the bounty hunter, and after that, Taun We had taken him the long way round the complex back to his ship, which took who knew how long. Finally, however, Obi-Wan was given the chance to report his findings to the Council.

"Do you think these Cloners are in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" Master Windu was asking through the communicator.

"No, Master, there appears to be no motive; however, Elaina does seem to have her doubts," the man practically yelled to be heard over the wind and rain beating down on him.

"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan," Yoda corrected. "Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot."

"Yes, Master…they said Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the Senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the Council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?"

"No," said Windu. "Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council."

"Bring him here," Yoda finalized. "Question him we will."

"Yes, Master…I will report back when I have him." Just as Obi-Wan was about to switch off the communicator, the green Jedi Master interjected.

"What of this matter does Elaina think?"

Cringing at what his superiors were going to say upon hearing that he had lost one of their most cherished understudies, the Knight responded,

"I'm sorry, Master, but I have been unable to find her for some time."

"Make you partners in this mission so that you could go your separate ways we did not, Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master," he finished, walking directly back the building, grumbling about the unpredictable similarities between the Kalonya sisters.

--

She knew she was dreaming, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. She was forced to watch her mother die yet again. Again, she called out to her mother, only to receive no response, until…

"Kelly, wake up!" The voice was different than usual.

"No!" the girl half-screamed, bolting up, expecting Elaina to barely catch her from falling off of the bed like she had done countless times, with only a few exceptions, where she either went tumbling to the floor or was directly met by her sister's ready comfort. Instead, the Knight found herself in a strong and enveloping embrace.

A flicker of hope of it being Obi-Wan tickled the back of her mind until she realized where she was. She was sitting on the view-providing bench at the lake retreat on Naboo. Having just awakened from one of those terrifying dreams, Kelly-Fyn was slightly sweaty, cold, and trembling; however, the person holding her was blocking the morning breeze from reaching her already-chilled body. The sun was barely showing any light on the horizon.

"Anakin?" she faintly asked.

"What happened?" he queried worriedly in turn. "I've never seen you look so helpless. You looked like you were having a nightmare…but that seems so uncharacteristic of you. I mean, you did tell me that you had dreams that sound similar to mine, but…"

"They're of my mother dying. I just watch, call out her name, but I can't do anything else."

"I correct myself: your dreams seem incredibly similar to mine. Don't your parents have to be dead though…to enter the Jedi order…since you're a woman?"

"Oh, come on, Annie! I may not be the most traditional Jedi Knight that ever existed, but what makes you think that I would cheat my way in?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright. What about your dreams? You seem unusually tense."

"These dreams are getting too persistent. I think my mom might be in trouble. I'm sorry…"

"I'll help you."

Anakin did a double take.

"What?"

"I'll help you. It's the least I can do. If I can't make my dreams go away, the least I can do is help you get rid of yours. Now," she went on, tired of the ceaseless chatter and eager to get into something warmer, "I'm going to change and begin the preparations for departure."

"What preparations?"

"Well, that's the beauty of leaving last minute: there aren't very many."

With that comment, Kelly rose and strode back into the building towards her room. The instant she crossed the threshold, she realized how cold she actually was without the constant breeze. Shivering, the woman went straight for a hot bath. It seemed like ages since she had actually been able to sit in bath, rather than those single-purpose showers on Coruscant. Anakin wouldn't really want to leave for another hour or so; therefore, she had plenty of time to soak in the tub. It was particularly relaxing since the sun had barely touched the horizon and no one was awake as of yet to disturb her as she closed her eyes, content for the moment.

--

By the time Kelly emerged from her quarters, once again dressed in her normal clothes and running her fingers through her short hair to give it the usual slight winged effect, Padme was walking back from the morning sunlight-filled balcony, still in the clothes she had slept in, but clearly on a mission.

"I suppose you're going too?"

The senator only grunted an approval before continuing towards her room. Curious as to whether the younger girl would bring her whole wardrobe like usual, the Knight followed her, quietly giving the excuse that she could help with whatever packing was necessary. She was a bit perturbed, however, when Padme simply tossed one of her suitcases on the bed, pointed to the closet, telling the Jedi to fill it with clothes, not without a few specifics, of course, and walked out with the excuse that she was going to arrange their transportation.

Puzzled, Kelly looked back and forth between the bag and large cabinet a few times before walking towards it and opening its doors. She gasped. How could anyone live with so many choices?! On one end of the space, which was more like a small room, hung a robe and about three different nightgowns. From there could be seen an unimaginable assortment of clothes, from simple action-ready garments like what Kelly was wearing, to feathered floor-length gowns…and all of different colors, from pure white to blood red to a pattern of uncountable shades.

Clearing her throat, the high-ranking Enduring Warrior began fishing through the outfits until she found the sky-blue travel dress the politician had requested. After lying that out on the bed, she simply stood in front of the closet with her arms crossed, trying to decide what the senator would possibly want on the mission. Finally, ten minutes later, the girl had procured, folded, and tucked away about ten different things of various styles, making sure to include one or two that were more action-ready garments than most of the available attire. As she closed the wardrobe doors in conclusion of her search, Padme entered with a handful of hair accessories and other minor necessities. While she examined the chosen clothes, Kelly questioned her of the choices.

"I nearly forgot about a few of these. You have good taste, Kelly. Thank you."

"Always a pleasure, Padme."

"You know, you have a lot of potential for this sort of thing. Maybe, when all of this settles down, we can have a girls' day, just you and I."

The Knight sucked in her breath at the thought of a whole day talking about nothing but clothes, hair, and other "girly" things.

"I have to admit, that sort of thing isn't exactly my cup of tea."

"Just wait and see. If you really have to, you can bring your sister, although we don't get along nearly as well as you and me."

"My dear twin seems to like politicians even less than I do. Just give her time and she'll warm up. She always does, when given the chance."

"Well, either way, I'm glad you're here. At least I now have someone to be chaperone." Her voice lowered a bit when she continued. "Did you hear about last night?"

"Let me guess. He made his move." A smile graced Kelly's face at the girl's shock. "Just because I was wallowing in my own problems doesn't mean I didn't see that little kiss you stole two days ago." When she paused, Padme's face turned red and she looked away. "I have a little confession for you, but don't tell anyone."

"What is it?"

"I have loved Obi-Wan for years, now."

"I guess I was too busy to notice, but I suppose it's understandable. What about the laws of the Jedi? I thought you weren't allowed to love."

"Actually, it's sort of a hit and miss situation. The Council always remembers the bad consequences of the past Jedi in romantic relationships, but they never acknowledge all of the good that has come of it…even though they devote a whole history session to it in training. Don't brush Anakin off too readily, Padme. For some Jedi of the past, love has been their curse; however, for others like me and Anakin, love is what keeps us going. Don't keep Anakin wondering and waiting like Obi-Wan has for me and Elaina."

"Elaina?"

Oops, one little slip of the tongue…

"Both of us are actually in love with him, but we came to an agreement that, whoever he chooses, the other would live with it."

"Padme, Kelly!" Anakin could be heard calling as he came through the doorway. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be!" the young Knight replied, grabbing the suitcase and walking past the boy in the direction of the landing.

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	18. The Cue of Peril

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The Cue of Peril

Having taken more than an hour simply to run around the city trying to find out where the bounty hunter, Fett, had gone, Obi-Wan was already exhausted by the time he reached the landing pad where Jango was about to take off. After fighting with the man for about five minutes in the pouring rain, with no idea of what he would literally pull out of sleeve next following being shot at by the ship's guns, two laser pistols, and some kind of rocket from Fett's jetpack, he was not particularly surprised as his target shot a thin wire of some sort, which wrapped around his wrists just as he was trying to retrieve his runaway lightsaber.

The Jedi was then dragged around by the flying enemy until he was able to wrap the cord around a large pillar and brace himself, causing the bounty hunter to crash to the ground, his jetpack bouncing away and out of reach. Dodging the gunshots aimed at him, Obi-Wan collided with Fett, knocking him over the edge of the platform and causing him to start sliding down the sloping side of it. What the Knight didn't comprehend for a moment was that the cord wrapped around his wrists was still connected to the plummeting armored man. As the slack quickly came to its end, he lightly stated,

"Oh, not good…"

Anything further was cut off as he was jolted down the side. Luckily for him, but not his mission, Jango was somehow able to pull yet another trick in sliding to stop. Before the Jedi was able to fully think the situation through, the wire was released on the other end, sending him once again plummeting to his death. But, the waves would have to go without their supposed victim as he untwined the string, used the Force to wrap it around a nearby pole or metal appendage of some sort, and swung to safety onto a small platform below and within reach.

Rushing through the blinding white halls for another minute, Obi-Wan finally reemerged on the landing pad. But, he was too late. The craft took off just as he arrived; however, he still had the time to put a tracking device on the ship's hull.

Now, to find Elaina…

Even with his brisk little trot in looking for Fett, the Knight had still not found his missing partner…and it was beginning to worry him. He knew that Kelly-Fyn was infamous for her knack of getting into impossible situations, but this surprised him since he was not aware of the older twin bearing that trait as well. She was usually the cautious and more reasonable one.

Suddenly, something caught his eye to the left of the door just as he was about to reenter the building. Sure enough, there was the missing woman. She was unconscious and lying on her side as if she had been kicked out of the way. With no other conclusion of why he hadn't noticed her except that he had been too preoccupied, Obi-Wan knelt down next to the girl. Her thick, never-ending hair, looking darker than normal in the pouring rain, had come loose from the previously tight braid and was covering her face.

Gently brushing the sopping veil aside, the man stared at her for a moment. For once, she didn't look either mocking or troubled. If anything she looked peaceful, causing Obi-Wan to almost regret having to wake her in hopes that she was alright. As the young woman had not yet awakened through all of the pounding and banging of his fight with the bounty hunter, he was a bit shocked when she instantly opened her eyes upon feeling the touch of his hand against her cheek. With all of the darkness around them, Elaina's blue eyes practically glowed in the bit of light coming from inside the building.

"Obi-Wan?" she quietly said before allowing him to help her sit up. "What happened?"

"Well, during what's probably been a whole day, I have finished a clone tour, reported my findings to the Council, lost our target…and, just now, I was about to go look for you; however, that search at least was short. Are you alright?"

"I can tell you that I'll be sleeping through the entire trip to wherever we're going next."

"Fair enough…now, are you going to tell me where you've been all this time?"

"I was actually heading back to the ship. The 'perusing' was just an excuse to get away from those self-righteous, over-bearing…Anyway, I got lost. Long story short, I unintentionally gave myself the grand tour of probably the entire city (there was nothing grand about it) and eventually came to this landing pad. Guessing this was Fett's I wanted to make sure he didn't try getting away, so I went a little ways down the hall around the corner and hid. Let me warn you. If Yoda hasn't told you yet, let me tell you now: Something is clouding our vision with the Force. I have felt it since Coruscant. It's as if something is blocking my way every time I go to use it and I have to just plow through, trying to ignore it. Back the original topic, Fett was somehow able to sneak up on me. By the time I noticed him, my only option was hand to hand combat. Him having armor and being bigger, he was able to give me a good hit with his gun on the back of my head. That's the last thing I remember. He must have dragged me back out here after that."

"Very well…let's get back to the ship. I managed to put a tracker on Jango's hull."

--

"So Annie," Kelly-Fyn addressed the padawan from the back seat as they entered Tatooine's atmosphere, "I was thinking that maybe we could split up. If your dreams are true, than Shmi would probably not be in any usual place; however, with the possibility that everything is alright, I'll go to your old house anyway while you check Watto's. What do you think?"

When the boy didn't instantly answer, Padme vouched for her new best friend.

"Kelly's right, Annie. We'll be getting two things done at once if we do it her way."

As Anakin gave in to their coaxing, the Knight mentally thanked him. She had the faint hope that, if she could prove his dreams to be false, hers would turn out to be similarly wrong. Having landed the craft, the group separated, Kelly simply walking while the other two found a ride. Jealousy once again bubbled up. She didn't have anyone to care for her like that. It was true: Elaina and Obi-Wan were a perfect match. They had similar likes and dislikes. They were both overly serious much of the time…The list could go on for miles! They couldn't just…

There it was right across the street: Anakin's old home. Approaching the door, she pressed the button which would announce her presence. A moment later, the panel slid open to reveal a small girl who reminded Kelly of herself about two decades before.

"Who are you?" the child suspiciously queried, causing a smile to touch the Jedi's lips…her looks, Elaina's attitude.

"I am trying to find the past resident of this house. Perhaps you could…"

"If you're an acquaintance of Jarlen, I suggest you leave this place at once," a blond, middle-aged woman interrupted, coming around the corner with a small boy clutching at her skirts beside her. "He's been on the most wanted list for three months, now."

"Alright, then I'm looking for the person who lived here before…Jarlen."

After looking the Knight up and down, the mother suggested,

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"Don't let the clothes fool you. I grew up here, for the most part. Back to the original topic, the name of the woman I'm searching for…her name is Shmi Skywalker."

"Shmi lived here?!" Before Kelly was able to gracefully excuse herself and leave on the grounds that this woman was not being any help, she continued, soon ushering the girl into the house. "My name is Sheleen. Shmi is my sister! I have not heard from her since ages ago! Please, come in and explain your query to me."

A moment later, Kelly-Fyn found herself seated at the familiar table with Sheleen spitting out questions faster than she could answer them. Although, at first, the similarities between Anakin's quiet and strong mother and the chattery, excited woman in front of the Jedi couldn't at all be distinguished, with closer examination, they had the same dark eyes, nose, and height. Several minutes went by of the friendly interrogation until Kelly finally had to take a breather from her constant flow of answers. While Sheleen poured her some water, she said,

"I can't believe I finally met someone who knows my beloved big sister after all this time!"

"Sheleen, when was the last time you saw Shmi?" The older simply sighed a couple of times prior to actually replying.

"Over thirty years ago (I lost count of the exact number), Shmi and I left our rather gamble-ready mother to explore the town we were in. As soon as we returned, we discovered that our mother had lost more money and property than imaginable. The other gamblers cold-heartedly killed her and sold my sister and I into slavery! Three years later, I was sold to a different master and never heard from her again."

"I'm confused. How were you freed? I heard rumors that this section of dwellings was sold to separate tenants instead of the slave owners a while ago."

"A rich man took pity on me, freed me, and married me. That's why I have these two rascals running around. Sadly, he died a year ago."

"If he was rich, why are you living here?"

"Live poor now, spend the money later."

"Interesting idea…"

--

"Anakin, I found something!" she called to the boy as they all re-boarded the ship an hour later.

"I know, we were able to wrangle the information from Watto," he quickly replied while the craft lifted off.

"No, no, I mean…you did? That's great!"

"What happened on your end?"

"Well, allot, actually…"

--

Another half a day had been spent sitting in the little ship as they went through hyperspace. Just like the trip to Kamino, few conversations had transpired between the two Jedi, giving Elaina more than enough time to think; however, though there was plenty of time for dozens of subjects to be resolved, she only contemplated on one…while staring at the back of the subject's chair. She cared for Obi-Wan more than anything. That was evident, even if nothing else was. Though she had already known that, the last push towards certainty was on Kamino.

_Her head felt like it was about to explode. That was the first thing the Knight noticed upon regaining consciousness. Then there was something else…soft, warm. She opened her eyes to gaze upon a sight that almost took her breath away. At first, she had a flickering idea that she had died and gone to the most wonderful place possible (bursting headache besides). Of course, that was a silly assumption. It was __only__ Obi-Wan, his eyes glistening from the light coming through the nearby door, with his hand on her cheek. She studied his features for a moment. Kind, gentle, wise…Then, she caught sight of his wrists. They were chafed and red as if from bonds of some sort._

"_Obi-Wan? What happened?"_

It was a subtle realization, but it was still there. As a famous philosopher once said, "the secrets of the heart are brought to light, pain of the soul is relieved, hidden grief is carried off, sympathy conveyed, counsel imparted, experience recorded, and wisdom perpetuated…" It was simple, faint, and general, but true. She had dreamed of him and woke to see his face looking down at her. One gaze could tell so much.

However, even if she was definitely and thoroughly in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he reciprocated the feelings, the Council, the order would never allow it…neither would her conscious. She had enough to worry about without being actually romantically involved with anyone: her meddlesome sister, the trouble with using the Force, reaching her full potential as a Jedi Knight, debating over whether or not to go along with the Council's urging for her promotion. That and a certain nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something was wrong. Of course something was wrong. Everything was wrong! The Sith were regaining power in the galaxy, the Republic was falling apart at the seams, and both she and Kelly were in love (and having concerns over) the same man…a respected Jedi none the less.

Elaina mentally rolled her eyes, ignoring the jolts from the man's frantic piloting as he dodged shots from a pursuing ship, most likely Fett, talking with R4 instead of her. How predictable! The reason for her lack of surprise was that she had sensed the bounty hunter's presence several minutes prior to the attack.

-Wait a minute! I can sense their presence…he has the boy with him, too-

Reaching out with her mind, the girl slightly smiled with the result, even though Obi-Wan had just barely gotten away from several well-aimed and tactical missiles. She could easily sense all four life-forms, including herself, in the two vessels. Her partner seemed to notice the frivolous act as she sensed his confusion and slight agitation. Once they had parked and powered down on a large asteroid to avoid temporary detection from Fett, he turned around and stared at her. She in turn raised her eyebrows in an unspoken query (she had never gotten the hang of only raising one eyebrow, for some reason).

"What?" Elaina asked with a smirk.

"What is that smile for?"

The woman internally cringed, as she had always done, but hid, when anyone used incorrect grammar, whether in speech or literature. Of course, she couldn't blame them, as she had made the same mistake offhand on occasion.

"I just discovered that my limited use of the Force is at an end, at least for now."

"What are you talking about?" With an unusually big grin, Elaina made her companion's half of the ship twenty degrees cooler, causing his eyes to slightly bulge. She tried to contain a giggle as he loudly opposed her use of him as a "guinea pig."

Finally, a few minutes later, they were once again on their way in pursuit of the target. On the planet surface, strangely, there were dozens of parked Federation starships on what appeared to be landing pads. It was strange. The Federation wasn't supposed to be that far out towards the Outer Rim. Once on the ground, Elaina jumped out of the pod with extreme relief sweeping over her. Flying, precarious heights, small, inescapable spaces, they were all the same to her: positions that were difficult to escape. When she began following Obi-Wan towards the rocky formations nearby, he infuriatingly suggested that she stay behind.

"Master Kenobi, I did not become your temporary partner just to watch your ship for you. I am coming."

"Fine, have it your way."

"Thank you, I will," she growled conclusively, the strip in her hair getting a bit darker. Being in love with someone like Obi-Wan (exactly like herself) was occasionally quite frustrating.

--

"Stay with the ship, R2," Padme ordered as the little droid tried following the trio when they began walking towards a small homestead in the middle of nowhere. Luckily they had a ship; therefore, it only took a small amount of time to reach it. From somewhat close observation, Kelly deciphered that the settlement was a moisture farm, one of the most hard-to-maintain, yet necessary parts of the life on Tattoine. As they passed up a humanoid-statured droid, it addressed them.

"Oh, hello! How might I be of service? I am C-…"

"3PO?" Anakin finished for the then-familiar robot, approaching it with clearly mounting curiosity.

"Oh, the maker! Oh, Master Annie! I knew you would return! I knew it! And Miss Padme…oh, and Miss Kelly!"

"Hello, 3PO," both girls said simultaneously.

"Bless my circuits," 3PO continued, "I'm so pleased to see you three!"

"I've come to see my mother," the boy stated, causing the droid to oddly lose much of his gaiety.

"Oh, well, I think perhaps we'd better go indoors," he finished, leading them into the house. "Master Owen," he said to young man about Anakin's age, "might I present three most important visitors."

"I'm Anakin Skywalker," the padawan introduced.

"Owen Lars," the other young man responded prior to shifting the attention to his female companion. "This is my girlfriend, Beru."

"Hello," the girl said in turn. Her voice sounded quite like the senator's in meekness.

"I'm Padme," the politician offered.

Refusing to be left out, the Knight also gave her name.

"Kelly-Fyn Kalonya…"

"But everyone just calls her Kelly." The stuck-up woman definitely got a dirty look for that. After a few more pleasantries, another, older man in a floating chair entered, presented himself as "Cliegg Lars," and led them further into the house. Several minutes later, he went on about how Shmi had been captured by Tusken Raiders. He continued for probably another ten minutes, but Kelly didn't hear it. She bolted out the door and began preparing a nearby speeder bike for travel. Soon, Anakin came out, closely followed by Padme. Yet another one of those pangs of heartache hit her as they hugged each other. No one was there for her. All of her friends had love: Anakin and Padme, Obi-Wan and Elaina…that little traitorous poor-excuse-for-a-sister. Elaina was the one more closely knit with the Council. They probably told her about her partnership with Obi-Wan long before anyone else.

"Come on, Annie. Let's go save her."

With Anakin at the controls and the Knight behind him with her arms around his waist, the duo sped off into the sunset, determined to succeed in their quest.

Thanks for reading! Pleeeeeease review!

Credit goes to the Venerable John Henry Newman for the quote, "the secrets of the heart, etc."


	19. Pain and Death

Thanks Katie Ladmoore for your review!

"My Immortal" by Evanescence goes with the third "scene"…

Pain and Death

Kelly slouched on the speeder as Anakin consulted with a small group of Jawas. Though she was gazing at the red, dimming horizon, her fiery scarlet eyes saw none of it. She was fed up with hiding her emotions and it felt good to show it for once…without her infuriating twin there to hold the reigns. At that moment, she wasn't Kelly-Fyn Kalonya, disregarded and lowly Jedi Knight. She was Kelly, friend and vengeful aid of Anakin Skywalker, the "Chosen One" whose mother was grave danger. Nothing else mattered, not what the Council would do later or what her sister would say.

"We're almost there," her companion muttered when he rejoined her on the bike.

--

The sun was setting by the time Obi-Wan and Elaina found a set of crude stairs in one of the planet's strange, huge stone bluffs. It wasn't apparent as an actual entrance until the two companions found themselves inside the rock structure. It looked as if the formation had been hollowed out for covert operations…for what purpose, the girl did not know.

"Blast it, Kelly!" she murmured while looking down an adjacent staircase. "Why did you have to pass on that terrible urge to investigate the unsafe?" Obi-Wan instantly turned around in confusion, probably from her rather "Kenobi-like" use of words.

"What's the matter?" he asked with a hushed tone.

Sighing, Elaina replied,

"I have to go check something out."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time we were separated?! I lost Fett and you were knocked unconscious for who knows how long. Plus, I am not going to go through another lecture from the Council on the definition of partners."

"Oh, don't be so drama…they lectured you for my disappearance? Ha, that's a twist. It used to be: I was lectured for Kelly's wanderings. Welcome to the club!"

"Keep your voice down. You're starting to act more like your sister than ever."

"Obi-Wan…I will be back soon enough. If you report your findings to the Council before I join you, just…tell them I am right behind you."

"But…"

"Bye!" With that, she noiselessly trotted down the steps and around the corner. The truth was she wanted to be with Obi-Wan more than anything; however, being around him at that point only brought about more confusion for herself than necessary. One step at time to achieve all her goals, one by one…that's what she needed to do. Also, being with the dashing Knight made her miss Kelly more than ever.

Elaina missed her twin's smart comebacks, bold remarks, sarcastic observances, mischievous grin…and yes, even her perilous nature that always worried the older sibling. It used to be that they were inseparable. Nothing could have stood in their way. Together, they were complete, almost invincible. Unfortunately, those days of bliss were drawing to a close completely. Over the past five years, they had hardly seen each other, let alone spoken. And a single late night problem-solving conversation hardly counted. Perhaps the Council's decision to separate them was a mistake. In history, a rash act had always ended with disaster.

The Jedi growled at herself for not paying attention to the present moment. Three winged aliens passing through the next hall had nearly seen her. Several minutes later, she froze in her tracks upon hearing a conversation of some sort not very far away. Familiar words always caught her attention, in that case: Trade Federation. Creeping towards a small, foot-wide hole, Elaina witnessed perhaps a dozen beings sitting at the large round table in the middle of the room. One was a human and seemed to be leading the negotiations, as they appeared to be discussing.

"…battle droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than any in the galaxy. The Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands we make."

At some point during that explanation, the girl's eyes caught sight of something across the room, hiding in another, higher window. Sure enough, upon closer examination, it turned out to be Obi-Wan, who nodded to her in response to her own silent greeting. Though the Knight settled into a comfortable position which would have lasted her another hour, Count Dooku, as she had discovered his identity was, cut the debate short and had the representatives escorted out. After seeing that Obi-Wan had safely abandoned his hiding place, the woman turned to go back to the surface and the ship; however, what shocked her was her failure in not being noticed.

"I would advise you to not go any further, Jedi," Dooku, still sitting in the chair with his back to her, quietly stated. When Elaina attempted to continue her retreat, she collided with a force-field of some sort at the exit of her little peephole, trapping her. "I foresaw that I would be spied upon by someone in that corner and took precautions against any escape. Don't be shy. Come out and state your case. I am far more understanding than the Council would have you believe." Cautiously slipping into the room and standing, the girl side-stepped along the edge of it until she could see the Count's face. Victorious, smug, uncaring, evil…those were just a few of the hostile traits she could apply to the man by just looking at him. "Ah, Mistress Elaina Kalonya! Word of you exploits has spread all throughout the galaxy. I hear the Council is trying to promote you…again."

With a plan to hopefully get out of the situation, Elaina responded,

"Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I just got lost in looking for a bathroom. I'll be getting out of your hair now…" Turning around, she tried to make a graceful exit, only to again run into a force-field. "You asked for it," she pointed out, tossing aside her cloak and drawing her lightsaber.

"Oh no," Dooku corrected chillingly, getting up from his seat and drawing his own Jedi weapon, "it is you who have asked for it."

Across the room, Elaina engaged her sword and held it in preparation to use her usual defensive technique. Though she kept her face straight and emotionless, she was quite astonished when the Count's lightsaber turned out to be red: the color nearly always used by primarily the Sith. At first, the girl had a fleeting thought that he was the Sith Master they had been searching for; however, it seemed unlikely. Dooku was almost not evil enough.

"So, who is your master, Count? Is it someone I know so that I can report my findings and have him overthrown?"

After a few easily deflected strikes, the man ignored her taunt and switched to a completely different subject.

"I am actually a bit disappointed, Mistress Kalonya. I was hoping that I would be fighting a more worthy opponent…that you would be the one outside about to be ambushed instead of your dear partner. You are far too weak to sustain many blows from me."

"Do not judge me by my size, Count. Many an enemy has met his demise in doing so."

For the next ten minutes, the combatants danced around, with their weapons clashing together so ferociously that they sometimes produced sparks. Going along with her personal preference, the woman always remained defensive, the tactic which rarely failed her. Sadly, it was one of those few days. The red lightsaber finally swung around, slipped through her guard, and grazed her left thigh as she tried to twirl away and avoid the collision. With a slight gasp from the initial agony, Elaina dropped her weapon and fell against the wall. Grating her teeth together as her leg continued to throb, the girl watched Dooku warily while he disengaged his own lightsaber and let out a heavy sigh. He addressed her as about a dozen newly-fashioned battle droids and destroyers appeared at the doorway.

"I'm sorry about this, Mistress, but I'm afraid I am forced to have you detained for trespassing. I don't want to."

"You ended that sentence with a preposition!" she chided, using sarcasm to deflect her own pain. "And, for that, you will never receive support from me."

Having caught her breath, Elaina quickly twirled away…only to have her enemy quickly follow her. She tried using the Force to push him away, but Dooku simply responded in kind, sharply pulling her towards him and sending the rather unlucky Jedi sprawling at his feet. Apparently fed up with the conflict, the Count knew exactly what would temporarily disable the girl. He proceeded to snatch a small metal stool from the corner and finalized the fight with a bang. He could have simply knocked her in the head; however, that seemed to not be his style. Instead, the foe simply did a random toss with the Force which solidly hit her in the ribs. As Elaina slowed rolled onto her back, again gasping for breath, Dooku again spoke, just as casually.

"We shall see if your humor can stand against what may come. Truly, I wish for your safety and support. Unfortunately, our paths have never crossed until this untimely hour. Sadly, you must pay for your insolence."

The woman's eyes widened as the man raised his hand. There was something familiar about that move from her training with Master Yoda. Just as she lifted a hand in front of her face in anticipation for the attack, electricity shot out from Dooku's hand, directly colliding with her pitiful-looking defense. Instead of sending the woman into convulsive anguish, the beam hit her hand and bounced away, barely missing her attacker, who was clearly shocked by the action. "You are correct. I did underestimate you; however, with the wounds you have sustained, your strength and concentration will quickly wane." Sure enough, the poor girl was only able to handle a few more seconds of the Count's resolute harassment and was soon curled up on the ground, trying not to scream as the electricity hit her. What seemed like an eternity later, Dooku ordered his droids, "Take her away."

Being dragged by robots down the hall had not at all been part of Elaina's plan for retreat…and there was no way she would be able to do so any time soon.

--

At last! They were almost to the camp where Shmi was being held. Release of all her built up emotions was at hand…she just wanted to take it out on the cruel Raiders in the camp below. Leaping down from the cliff, the two companions crept towards the camp in the dark, Anakin taking the lead. Sure enough, they came upon a hut with a life fainter than all the rest. Once inside the tent through a hole made by the padawan, Kelly instantly looked upon the most tragic sight possible: Shmi tied to a crude wooden frame at the left side of the small residence.

She looked so weak and injured, and Kelly felt such pity for her as she knelt opposite Anakin in holding the released woman away from the ground, that the Knight's eyes instantly turned an icy blue.

"Annie?" the poor mother faintly queried, focused completely on the boy. "Is it you?"

"I'm here, Mom," the faithful son replied. "You're safe."

Shmi simply went on with her wonderment, putting a hand on the young man's cheek which he gently kissed.

"Annie? Annie? Oh, you look so handsome! My son! Oh, my grown up son. I'm so proud of you, Annie."

"I missed you."

"As…as did I," Kelly put in, her voice cracking from the overwhelming emotion, sadness and regret, sweeping over her. Just then, Shmi noticed her presence.

"Kelly?" she began asking, brushing the girl's cheek with her hand and gently fiddling with the choppy black hair. "I thought I'd never see you again…nor be able to claim you as truly my own…my sweet daughter…so full of life. Oh, I have never seen any girl matching your beauty…my Kelly. My children…"

Though the moment was heart-breaking, it did not stop Anakin from glancing at his companion with overwhelming shock. The apparent newfound sibling, meanwhile, was flooded with even more emotion than ever. When she and her sister had left Tatooine the first time, they had all agreed that, if ever they returned, Shmi would deny being identified with them, for her safety as well as theirs. Finally, however, the secrets were over. Kelly would no longer have to hide her identity. She wasn't really Kelly-Fyn Kalonya. She was Kelly Skywalker…and she would forever carry that name with pride.

Unfortunately, those sentiments would have to be delayed. Shmi…their mother, was growing weaker by the second. Sharp realization hit the young Jedi as her parent spoke again.

"Now I am complete."

"Mom," Kelly protested desperately, "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you again."

Throughout the next few moments, Shmi tried getting out the words, "I love you," with no success whatsoever in her fragile state, and with the two siblings quietly protesting, trying to not lose what had been a haunt in their lives for so long. Then, she was gone: the single hope which had held Kelly together for all those years of secrecy and mistrust. All that time, she had hoped to one day return, throw off her mask of shame, and bring her mother somewhere safe to live out the remainder of her years…all that hope was shattered in one climatic moment.

Her anger returned upon thinking of Elaina. That self-righteous bossy princess was the reason for the delay. If it hadn't been for the "humble," spoiled brat's insistence on remaining confidential with their true names, etc., none of that scene would have happened. Her mother would still be alive. In fact, in the first place, if Qui-Gon Jinn, the man who was sadly their father, hadn't abandoned them in the first place, neither she nor Anakin would have been required to suffer the agony of such loneliness. Kelly wouldn't have had to go through the years trying to pretend that Shmi was simply a ghost of the past…though she was always reminded every night through those terrorizing nightmares that Elaina's push for denial was not even partly true. Shmi had bore them all, raised them, loved them, respected their wishes to depart from Tatooine and leave her, perhaps forever. It was all their fault; like father, like daughter…older daughter.

With a growl, the girl stood and peeked out through the curtained doorway as her brother whimpered,

"She's gone."

"Yes, Annie, she is gone," Kelly responded, a determined glimmer in her once again crimson eyes, "…but I know who to make pay for it."

Jaws set, the duo ignited their lightsabers and stepped outside, easily killing the two Tusken guards at the entrance. It didn't solve the situation, but it felt good to do something about her anger for once. Twirling around, the woman sliced through every creature that stumbled onto her path.

It took less than ten minutes for the sister and brother to finish off the last heartless inhabitant, at which point, they found themselves with crossed blades in the middle of the settlement. Both had anger and resentment practically radiating off of them.

"You're my sister?" Anakin growled.

"It does seem a bit odd at first," the older sibling stated, panting slightly, though her eyes had lost none of their bright luster, "but yes, I assure you that it's true."

"You never told me. You just let me go on all this time thinking I was alone in my misery…you and Elaina." With that, they began a full out dual; however, neither gained the upper hand since they were even with Anakin's dominating height and Kelly's more advanced experience.

"Never again speak my name in the same sentence as our elder sister! She suppressed both of our wishes in insisting on utter secrecy…no, not insisting…demanding! Unlike us, she doesn't know what it's like to be haunted every night by want you want most but can't have!"

A few more strokes and they both resigned the hostility.

"At least I'm not utterly alone, now."

"I might say the same."

With crushing sorrow on their hearts, they found themselves in each other's commiserating embrace.

~Why did I say those things about Elaina? I would never really want to hurt her!~

--

Over an hour after being captured herself, Elaina waited for the guards to secure her new fellow inmate in a containment field about four feet away from hers and leave the circular room before letting out a heavy sigh.

"How nice of you to join me! I must admit, I was getting a bit anxious being the only prisoner for our enemies to use as a play toy. Anyway, how you doing?"

"Oh, not bad," was the equally casual reply. "I was able to report our findings to the Council, through Anakin on Tatooine (I hope), before being ambushed, captured, and stuck into this bloody cell."

"Well, things are looking up already. Did you say that Anakin is on Tatooine? I thought they were on Naboo."

"As did I. I am unsure of their reasoning for going to that little planet. Any assumptions would be silly to even mention. Anakin isn't that foolish…that I am aware of."

"Do you feel as I do that something has gone terribly wrong…and not just here?"

"Oh, well I don't know. I have been occupied enough with worrying about only one planet."

"Understandable…" Sadly, the pain in her side had only increased, not decreased…so, Obi-Wan noticed the little grimace she made at another wave of pain.

"Elaina, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Obi-Wan," she replied, wiping her face of any emotion except a slight encouraging smile.

--

It was late morning as Padme prepared a tray of food and two drinks for her troubled companions downstairs. She felt such compassion for both of them that it was hard to tell whether she felt more for her best friend, Kelly, or Annie, the boy she…well, she couldn't admit to loving him. He was a Jedi, she was a senator. She had explained that to him already, though not having believed it herself.

They had both seemed so hurt and angry upon their arrival several hours before that she had almost been too afraid to speak at all. The Lars' had instantly begun burial preparations while her friends had hidden themselves away in the shop. Just as the girl was about to leave with the tray, Beru walked in, head down and eyes averted.

"What's the matter?" the senator asked quietly, setting her load back down as the other woman started to clean the already-immaculate kitchen.

"It's nothing," was the quick reply.

"I know something is wrong…just tell me…please?"

"Well…a few moments ago, I decided to go down and try consoling your boyfriend…" Padme cringed at the assumption, though she didn't say anything. "…and, just as I reached the stairs, I heard them talking…"

"And?" the politician coaxed.

"I can't…it didn't sound like something they wanted to get out…the way they were talking, I mean. If you want to know, you'd better ask them…and you didn't hear it from me."

"Alright…" Confused, Padme returned to her previous task. Was something going on between Anakin and Kelly that she hadn't noticed? Not that it was any of her business...she had rejected him, after all. In the shop, she saw Anakin fiddling with a broken mechanical device of some sort; however, Kelly was nowhere in sight.

"I brought you something," she offered. "Are you hungry?"

"The shifter broke," the boy stated, ignoring her question. She simply set her tray down, hoping that he would eat something. "Life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things. I'm good at fixing things…always was. I couldn't…why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!"

Now, Anakin was asking impossible questions that had no answer. The young woman hated being asked that sort of question. Unfortunately, she got more than her share as past queen and present senator.

"Sometimes, there are things no one can fix. You're not all-powerful, Annie…"

"Well, I should be!" he interrupted, anger seeping into his voice. Having both of her parents and her sister alive and well, she couldn't honestly understand her friend's feelings. Yes, she knew what it was like to feel helpless in a situation out of anyone's control; she knew how it felt to have the weight of death not your own on your shoulders…but losing family was different, she could guess. Therefore, she could not be of much help for Anakin, though she would try her best…and knew patience would be a large part of it, especially with this particular case. So, she continued to listen to the young man's rant as his temper heated even more than before, trying to learn as much as possible about the situation. "Someday, I will be…I will be the most powerful Jedi ever! I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying."

Now, she was shocked. So much for understanding…

"Anakin!"

"It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's jealous! He's holding me back!"

The girl flinched as he threw the tool he was holding at the wall. Something more was wrong. When she voiced her concern, he shocked her with the terrifying reply,  
"I…I killed them. We killed them all. They're dead…every single one of them. And not just the men…but the women…and the children, too. They're like animals. And I slaughtered them like animals! I hate them!"

With that, he seemed to relent, collapsing against the work table beside the senator. He looked so pitiful, troubled, sad, angry…she couldn't help but offer what comfort she could give, bending down to his level.

"To be angry is to be human."

"I'm a Jedi. I know I'm better than this." By that time, the dam had finally broken and the tears released.

"Oh, Annie…I'm so sorry. I wish there was some words of political wisdom I could share with you to help, but, for once, there isn't." An awkward pause ensued and curiosity took over. "What about Kelly? She seemed just as bad off as you…if not worse."

"She's…she's my…sister."

"What? That's amazing! And it's not very surprising, either. You two are so much alike. So, that means that Elaina is also…"

"…my sister. Yeah…Padme, I don't want to talk about Elaina, right now. Can we change the subject?"

"Sure…about that tray of food…"

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	20. Inheritance of Trouble

Thanks DragonRider2000 and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

Inheritance of Trouble

It was after noon as Kelly returned from her walk through the endless desert. She had almost wanted to get lost and never be heard from again…but there she was, standing beside the Lars' house, watching her mother's funeral from a distance. She had been thinking: if she and Elaina had not left in the first place all those years ago, their mother would still be alive. Shmi had allowed them to leave. It was then that Kelly made an oath to herself: if she ever married and had children, she wouldn't make the same mistakes, letting those children leave her on the spur of the moment like that and be forced to try forgetting them. Qui-Gon, Shmi herself, Elaina, they all had played their part in the loving woman's death. If Qui-Gon had not left them in the first place to return to the Jedi, their family would have lived, perhaps not an easy life, but at least one in which they were together. It was Elaina's idea in the first place to leave behind all connections with their lives of slavery. And Shmi…she had given her own self the final blow of separation by letting them go. If she had kept them from leaving, she would be alive in the long run.

As Kelly approached the funeral, no tears came. She couldn't cry. The order and Elaina had all drilled into her the concept of no emotion. For once, she actually paid attention to it. Because of Shmi's patient suffering and allowing her daughters to leave, their family would never be whole. Because of Shmi's pain, she was suddenly afraid of her own…an odd emotion for her to have.

"R2?" Padme suddenly queried as the little droid approached. "What are you doing here?"

3PO translated the oncoming series of whistles.

"It seems he's carrying a message from an…Obi-Wan Kenobi? Huh…uh, Master Annie, does that name mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does!" Kelly half-yelled, speaking for the first time since her conversation with Anakin hours before. She instantly broke into a full-out run towards the ship…anything to push aside her suddenly expanding grief.

Once all three companions were in the ship, they huddled around the visual communicator and watched the recorded message from Obi-Wan.

"Anakin," it began, "my long-range transmitter has been knocked out. Retransmit this message to Coruscant." With a simple press of a button, Padme complied and the Knight soon continued onto his report.

--

A few Jedi, several senators, and Palpatine were in the chancellor's office, bickering over the course of action when they suddenly received a message from Obi-Wan through Anakin. After warily looking off into the distance, the image of the Jedi began explaining his findings.

"I have tracked the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a…wait…" Unexpectedly, Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and began deflecting energy blasts of some kind. A moment later, an advancing battle droid became apparent in the hologram before the message finally ended.

"More happening on Geonosis, I feel, than has been revealed," Yoda stated, turning to his much taller companion.

"I agree," Windu reciprocated prior to stepping onto the communicator. "Anakin, we will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the senator at all costs. That is your first priority."

"Understood, Master," the boy could be heard replying before the transmission was cut off.

After several minutes of debating, the group finally dispersed.

"Do you really think that putting Kelly-Fyn, Anakin, and the senator together was a good idea?" the man asked, exiting the room with his green friend.

"Doubt your own former padawan's abilities, do you?" Yoda queried curiously.

"Not exactly; however, I no longer believe that splitting the Kalonya sisters apart was such a good idea."

"As do I…but, we cannot take back the events already being unfolded. More damage we may cause if attempt to correct this mistake we do."

"So, are we to just continue with our plan in keeping them apart at all costs? Don't you think that may have been the reason for Bladerunner's turn to the dark side all those years ago…being kept from her fellow Warrior?"

"Of this no one can be sure. We can only hope that you trained Kelly-Fyn well enough to avoid the temptation."

--

"Elaina, are you sure you're alright?" Obi-Wan asked for the fifth time. "It has been over half an hour since you last spoke. Even for you, that is uncommon."

"You forget, Obi-Wan, that neither of us hardly spoke at all during either of those little hyperspace trips," the girl almost whispered, trying to keep the pain from showing on her face. Her companion didn't need another thing to worry about.

"Oh please, just because you have that annoying ability to hide your emotions doesn't mean that I haven't noticed that something is wrong."

"It's nothing! Just a minor scrape from when Dooku captured me…"

"Dooku was the one who captured you?"

Elaina only grunted a reply. She was in no mood to talk any further. She was stuck in a force-field, injured, alone with the man she loved, though he seemed to have no idea, and worried about her sister. Kelly was always slightly prone to be rash. If the younger twin had watched the transmission Obi-Wan had sent to the Council through Anakin, anything was possible. The man had earlier discussed that he had been ambushed during his report…meaning that Kelly was almost definitely on her way and would probably be captured for all her effort.

It then suddenly hit her. Elaina herself was at least partly responsible for the capture.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" the other Knight queried with clear shock written on his face.

"If I had not gone my own way, we would have been able to fight off the ambush and escape."

"Elaina, that wasn't…" He cut off as the door opened. Of course, it was Dooku, wearing the same mask of outward sadness as he had while torturing her. "Traitor," her friend simply stated.

"Oh no, my friend," the Count replied fervently. "This is a mistake, a terrible mistake. They have gone too far! This is madness!"

"I thought you were the leader here, Dooku," Obi-Wan spat at the man. Elaina was about to say something in reciprocation, but, with one look from her enemy, the force-field gave her a slight jolt of electricity…so, she settled on glaring at him. Meanwhile, Dooku went on, beginning to pace the room.

"This had nothing to do with me, I assure you." The girl's scoff turned into a soft yelp as yet another shot was given, courtesy of Dooku. "I will petition immediately to have you set free."

"Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. I have work to do."

"May I ask why two Jedi Knights are all the way out here on Geonosis?"

For the next few sentences, the men talked back and forth about whether or not Fett was on Geonosis. Elaina meanwhile ground her teeth together as her two broken ribs decided to protest to an actually normal breath. Suddenly, the Count's babbling caught her attention.

"Qui-Gon always spoke very highly of you. I wish he were still alive. I could use his help right now." After a moment of thinking, Obi-Wan countered,

"Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you!"

Again, the throbbing pain in her side caused the young woman to only half listen as Dooku said something to the effect of Qui-Gon joining him, the Republic being controlled by the Sith, etc.

"No, that's not possible," Obi-Wan again argued. "The Jedi would be aware of it."

Was the man completely oblivious to her silence?! At least it was only a couple of busted ribs. Sure, she could live with that…until she was somehow hit again, in which case, she would be of no help to anyone after a short time.

-Stop thinking such things!-

"…Darth Sidious."

Now, that name rang a bell! Where had she heard it before? Not that it mattered at the moment, considering she probably wouldn't have the chance…

-Wait a minute! The chance…-

"I don't believe you."

Only a few days before, Elaina had believed that confessing all secrets to Obi-Wan would be nigh impossible without disastrous consequences. If they were to die anyway, what was to stop her? Of course, she couldn't do anything until the right moment…if that came.

"…You must join me, Obi-Wan…and together, we will destroy the Sith!"

The girl practically gagged upon hearing that. Join him? That was a silly thing to demand.

"I will never join you, Dooku."

At last, the older man turned his attention to the then smirking woman, though she said nothing.

--

And here he was hoping that Elaina would be left out of the discussion! The poor girl had been under enough…yet she didn't look at all intimidated or afraid whatsoever. In fact, quite the opposite. The Knight was giving one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy a cocky smile. For some time, the captor and captive simply seemed to have a staring contest as Dooku slowly walked along with the ever-turning force-field. Strangely, the woman's face was not the usual blank slate. Instead, she was suddenly glaring at the Count with such intensity that Obi-Wan's skin crawled. That single strip of her hair was a jet black and her eyes held such vehemence, the man was surprised their enemy didn't go running out like a child from an especially large bug. Back to her hair…during the whole voyage, it had been a thick braid, followed by wet mop, but always out of her face. At that moment, it veiled her back, shoulders, and face, doubling the effects of her glare.

Finally, the contest ended and Dooku stepped back slightly, letting out an apparently held breath.

"Your mind is well-guarded, even with the shield blocking your abilities…a gift of your father's as well; however, I was able to glean a few more prominent feelings. Yes, she does have many of those, whatever she may show," he quickly added to Obi-Wan, a sly grin passing across his face, "…particularly feelings towards you…concern, self-sacrifice, and something far deeper than any simple, rule-following Jedi could imagine."

"You knew her father? Who?"

Ignoring that, Dooku returned the attention to Elaina, who had retaken the blank slate look. "Your father would have definitely been proud of what you have become. He would be even more proud if you changed your mind and stood by my side…my apprentice. Once Sidious is gone, it will be just you and I to rule the galaxy! Claim your rightful inheritance from your father by my side!"

His voice, which had escalated to a shout, echoed away through the distant halls. The sound seemed to continue for hours before silence finally ensued, a silence soon broken by a quiet chuckle that stunned the already-confused Obi-Wan with its lack of mirth.

"You were the one who added my entire family tree to my sister's files as well as my own, weren't you? Before you left the order, you somehow discovered my identity. How?"

Clearly elated by the chance to prove himself, he explained,

"Ten years ago, when my Master first brought me to see the wrongs of the Jedi order, one of my first assignments was to find out as much as possible about you and your marvelous twin. I am not at liberty to discuss the details at the moment; however, in the end, I eventually discovered your true identities and gained access to the files, which you apparently erased recently."

Obi-Wan's mind buzzed with action…the girls' familiarity with Tatooine, Kelly's similarities to Anakin, Elaina's strange behavior towards Qui-Gon, as well as in the library…all the pieces were coming together, although they made no sense.

"Why thank you, Dooku. You just gave me another clue to your master's identity."

Once again, an incriminating comment was passed over.

"Kalonya…where did you come up with such a name?! It doesn't fit you at all. Perhaps one day, you shall receive a name more fitting for your stature, Mistress Elaina Skywalker…although I could also call you Elaina…Jinn."

"What?!?!?!?!" Obi-Wan nearly shrieked as the Count approached the open door.

"It may be difficult to secure your release."

Feelings, Skywalker, Jinn, yes the pieces were there…but they didn't even fit together.

"Elaina, what was that about? Was he lying?"

His companion seemed to compose herself and collect her thoughts before answering.

"About twenty-seven or twenty-eight years ago, Qui-Gon was on a mission on the Outer Rim. For some reason, his ship malfunctioned (he soon discovered that it hadn't even been wired right to begin with) and he was forced to land on Tatooine. He met Shmi, they fell in love, married…but then they realized that Qui-Gon had to leave. He didn't even know that my sister and I existed until he returned seven years later, left again, then Anakin was born. We grew up as slaves, but Kelly and I knew that we couldn't stay forever. Since Qui-Gon had 'accidentally' left a lightsaber behind, we practiced with it and became somewhat proficient in its technique. You pretty much know the rest, except that I convinced Shmi to deny the fact that we were related. After that, there is nothing surprising."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to think, so he settled for the most neutral question possible.

"If Shmi is your mother, why do you not call her so?"

"Force of habit…I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I know I should have told you this long ago, but I couldn't risk it. Also, I was afraid that, if someone knew I was not an orphan, I would be thrown out of the order in disgrace."

After that, all they did was wait in silence for their doom.

--

"I wish there was some way to apologize to Elaina. I feel so bad about being that angry with her when it wasn't at all her intention to cause harm," Kelly wined as the Knight, padawan, and senator all piled off of the ship in the exhaust vent and entered a small tunnel.

"Don't worry," Anakin countered. "I'm sure both of us will have the chance right after we rescue them."

"What makes you think that Elaina was captured? She could be somewhere else around here already planning an escape," Padme put in. The two Jedi on either side of the girl both turned around to face her with utter and pure humor written all over their faces, although it was the female Jedi who replied.

"Elaina wouldn't leave a companion behind, especially if it was the man her sister loved and her brother thought of as a father…or more older brother at this point probably, I'm guessing?"

Anakin quickly nodded an affirmation prior to saying,

"Yeah, my sister loving my father-figure…that definitely would be a bit…creepy."

As they continued to walk through the hall, Kelly realized how relieved she really was. During the trip to Geonosis, she had confessed all to her friends: nearly her whole life-story, her feelings for Obi-Wan, everything. Even the fact that they were in a fortified enemy complex hardly mattered to her any more. She was free from the burden of guilt that had haunted her and, she just noticed, had almost turned her to the Dark Side…not a very nice thought. Even when the group was attacked by a bunch of weird, winged alien locals coming out of the walls, she was barely troubled. It was almost like the old times of so many years ago…except Elaina wasn't there. Once they were back together, everything would be fine.

Of course, at that moment, things were not looking up at all as a closing door cut Kelly off from her friends, leaving her to fend for herself in finishing off the attacking creatures. Without any real weapons to speak of, they were easily extinguished. Suddenly though, she heard a cry of alarm from the other side of the door. For a few seconds after that, it was like an immovable wall, refusing to open when the button was pressed. When it finally did allow Kelly access, she was devastated to discover that her friends had disappeared into the maze of the factory somewhere. The girl was so intent upon searching for the other two that she was incredibly surprised at the droids' approach from behind.

"Ah, Mistress Kelly," 3PO began, "I tried to stop him, but he refused! Stubborn little twerp…oh goodness!" he then exclaimed when he reached the abruptly ending doorway. "Shut me down! Machines making machines…hmm, how perverse!"

Kelly ignored the robot's cries of alarm as she leaped onto a ramp some ways away. Anakin was a ways off on one conveyor belt, destroying everything in his path, while Padme was on another, running through the machines. The girl was unfortunately forced to worry about her own problems as three of aliens approached, to which she reacted by leaping onto a passing transport droid some ways below. She landed just as it dropped 3PO and eyed her, causing the unsure Jedi to fall right off.

Grabbing onto a hanging cord, Kelly kept herself from breaking any bones on the last ten feet by lightly hopping to another ramp. After climbing a set of stairs, she found herself faced with a slight predicament. A dozen of the stupid creatures were heading for her: this time, with guns. Whisking out her lightsaber, the Knight killed all twelve with relative ease, only to be faced by three destroyers. She spent the next few minutes deflecting the gunshots and inching her way back down the stairs.

"Surrender or she dies, Jedi," a strange voice suddenly demanded from behind her. Twirling around, Kelly observed a bounty hunter flanked by five more droids; however, that was not what caused her to pause. The man was holding Padme with a gun to the woman's head.

If she acted quickly, there was a good chance she could disable Fett (at least, that's who she guessed he was) and get out of there with the senator intact…sadly, there was an even greater chance that she would be too slow, the gun would go off, and Kelly would be captured anyway and have to face an incredibly upset brother.

"Don't do it, Kelly," Padme ordered. "He's bluffing. He can't hurt me. I'm too valuable."

Moments went by. Minutes went by.

Finally, the Knight disengaged her weapon and tossed it to Fett, who shot her anyway. Then, everything went black.

--

"Kelly, wake up!" Hmm, that line seemed all too familiar…

"Kelly, come on! You've been out for an hour!"

"What…ouch…happened?" the woman asked, sitting up, only to discover that her head was pounding and that they were in a dark room.

"Oh nothing," Padme began casually (at first), "except that you surrendered, that bounty hunter stunned you with his gun, we were put on trial, and now we all get to die…no thanks to your incompetence!"

"Easy! It's not my fault you let yourself get captured and didn't defend yourself properly at that trial or whatever. Too bad Obi-Wan or Elaina isn't here. We'd probably be on our merry way by now."

"Ladies!" Anakin cried finally. "Don't make me separate you two."

None of them could help it. They all burst out laughing…even though an impending and mysterious death was hanging over their heads.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	21. Heartbreak Here, Relief There

Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" goes with the first scene and Within Temptation's "Stand My Ground" as filler for the arena scene…

Heartbreak Here, Relief There

Elaina blankly squinted at the light coming from the end of the long tunnel as the winged guard chained her on the left side of the cart next to Obi-Wan. This was it. She was about to die without the man even knowing how she felt. Ha! Not if she could help it!

But, what if he rejected her? All of her desperate waiting and wondering would have been for nothing! However, on the other hand, if he did reject her, she at least would know. That was a silly thought. Of course he wouldn't reject her! Nearly everyone she had spoken to about it (mainly Dexter) thought that they were a perfect match. There was only one way to find out.

"Obi-Wan?" she began, looking sadly up at him.

"No, we are not going to die…not if I can help it," was the quick and half-careless reply. Her response finally brought his eyes to gaze into her own.

"It has nothing to do with that; although, I suppose I would not being saying this if not for it." She had reached the point of no return. She had to say it. "I care for you more than anything…just as much as my sister, if not more. Obi-Wan, I love you. I have known it since that morning on Tatooine when we watched the sunrise from near the ship all those years ago…remember?"

"Of course, I remember…when you were still snipping at me about asking questions." This wasn't good. He was trying to deny that she had said those three fate-sealing words and it was ripping her heart out. Only one thing could bring him back down from his cloud of disbelief.

She went on her tiptoes…and their lips met. Finally, after all that time, she was actually showing her true feelings instead of hiding them behind some false mask of courage or sarcasm. There was one thing wrong: he wasn't reacting at all. Elaina went back down on the flats of her heels, breaking the one-sided show of affection, and looked searchingly into the eyes of the one she loved so much, only to find him without any kindness in return.

"I am…sorry. I didn't know that you found me so…repelling."

"Elaina, it's not that at all," Obi-Wan stuttered as the girl turned away slightly, finally getting over his apparent shock. "It's just that I…well…"

"It's Kelly, isn't it," she murmured, once again facing him, though she felt like crawling into a lonely hole and dying right then and there…of course, the shackles kept her from doing so. "I cannot say that I didn't half-expect that. She has loved you probably even longer than I. You deserve each other. Opposites attract…"

Her voice faded off and an awkward silence commenced while the driver put the cart into motion. Elaina Kalonya…Skywalker…Jinn…whoever she was left her heart in that lowly little tunnel, never to rediscover it. Even if she did find her heart one day, there were too many pieces to reconstruct the feeble thing anyway. Obi-Wan belonged to her sister. Even her brother had someone for such a luxury as love.

"_So, how can I help you this time, Elaina?" the jolly restaurant owner queried. _

"_Nothing this time Dex…just somewhere I can think for a while," the twenty-five-year-old stated._

"_Do ya mind if I sit down?" After squeezing himself into the shaded booth, Dexter went on. "Where's your little trainee…Aya, isn't it?"_

"_Aayla," Elaina corrected, sipping her drink. "She is at a history class in the temple."_

"_So, I have you all to myself, do I?" The Jedi laughed a reply. Dex always could make her smile. "What's the special occasion…some holiday or other extraordinary event that causes you to visit my humble abode for a purpose other than questions?"_

"_Oh, just an anniversary on which I like to avoid Jedi…the death of Qui-Gon Jinn…you remember him don't you…at least me talking about him?"_

"_Yes, one other Jedi I advise once in a while mentioned that name…Obi-Wan Kenobi's teacher, I believe, right?"_

"_Obi-Wan comes here?"_

"_Uh-huh…is there something I should know about?"_

"_No," Elaina replied laughingly, "what makes you say that?"_

"_You two are just so alike. You'd think that the two of you have spent years around each other, practicing each other's reactions."_

"_I never heard it put that way…or any way, for that matter…"_

"_You like him, don't ya?" the alien suggested with a wink. "But those confounded laws of yours…ah, don't even get me started. You're perfect for each other. If you haven't realized it, you will."_

"_I have, actually. Like you said, the rules get in the way."_

"_Tell me more."_

But the Knight would not resent Obi-Wan or anyone else for it. She wanted the best for her friends and…loved ones, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. Her life as a lovesick girl had ended. Her life as a Knight and protector loyal to the Jedi order had just begun.

Then there was the problem of soon-to-come execution.

--

~Finally, they're both admitting their feelings for each other!~

These thoughts, as well as many others, were going through Kelly's mind as Padme at last gave in to her emotions towards Anakin while the Knight sat in between them. Then it suddenly hit her. There was a good chance that Obi-Wan and Elaina were in the same position, coming to terms with their feelings for each other. The older twin wouldn't let that chance pass up, that was for sure…and Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to resist those shimmering blue eyes…yes, when she wanted, Elaina could give a pretty pathetic look. She was pretty, smart, talented, and exactly like the man they both loved. How could he resist that? Kelly, the "irrational," "irresponsible," "stubborn" "tomboy," (yes, the rumors got around) was completely left out at the moment. Obi-Wan/Elaina and Anakin/Padme…two perfect matches, plus the loveless outsider were all facing their deaths four together, one separately.

The girl squinted as the cart rolled out of the shade and into the blazing sun. Following a few moments of adjusting her eyes from the more sensitive-to-light, sad blue to the normal, more resilient, dark brown color, Kelly was able to see the five pillars, two of which already seemed to have people chained to them. As the trio descended from the cart and were pushed towards the pillars, Obi-Wan began conversing with Anakin; however, the girl only half-listened to that, surprisingly.

"Where did you get that?!" she softly exclaimed to Padme as the chains were secured to the poles high above.

"This?" the other woman asked in turn, nodding to her chained hands, which held a small pick. "They come in handy. Changing the subject, doesn't something seem wrong with Elaina?"

Elaina! She had nearly forgotten her own sister in watching Obi-Wan to make sure he was alright. Leaning forward, Kelly caught a glance of the older twin, who sure enough seemed to be in some sort of pain. Through her passive-as-always look, Elaina's lips occasionally twitched, as if trying to suppress any sound wanting to escape past them. Using the Force, she was able to detect that her sister was somehow injured, though Kelly's mind had too many things going through it to focus on that single subject any further.

Then, her attention was brought to five large tunnels across from the captives as giant gates were raised as to allow something through. From the far right, across from Padme, the most ferocious creature the Geonosians could have possibly unleashed: a Nexu, with its razor teeth barred, it pointed hackles raised, its rat tail whipping back and forth, and its hooked claws gleaming in the desert sun. In front of Kelly came…a large moving lump in the sand? Either that or something was actually crawling underneath the sand, which was less than comforting. Next, for Anakin, came a Reek with three thick horns and hooves. For Obi-Wan, an Acklay with six pointed legs and, of course, many sharp teeth. Finally, there was the six-foot, black and yellow Cavern Spider.

Partially ignoring the creatures, Padme meanwhile began climbing the pillar. She stopped halfway to look down at the glowering Kelly. Supporting her weight on one hand and holding the pick out with the other, she cockily queried,

"What, you don't have one of these, Kelly? Hmm…"

"At least you know what you're fighting!" the Jedi exclaimed with sarcastic anger. "So far, I get a sandy lump to attack me."

"Oh, relax," the senator called down after achieving the pillar's height. "Consider watching that lump of sand, though. It's getting closer. Good luck!"

"You too!"

Suddenly, the 'lump of sand' reared up about twenty feet away. Its primarily light purple body, mixed in with some black on the back, had the smooth texture of a newt. It had two sets of thin, antenna-like pincers, one on the sides of the fanged, spidery mouth and the other behind the giant yellow fly eyes. Two more, longer, thicker, spiked, and more hostile-appearing pairs of claws, set about one foot apart a short ways down the thing's body, further decorated the already frightening animal. Yet another couple of sets of appendages were even lower; however, instead of grabbers, they were simply black, razor-sharp knives. All-in-all, it was about five meters long, with ten feet of that momentarily hovering over Kelly. Her examination of it had given the creature plenty of time to slink back under the sand and pop up right in front of her.

Gulping loudly, the Jedi twirled around to the other side of the pole as her attacker lunged at the spot almost directly where her head had been. In frustration at failure, it whipped the end of its tail around, catching the back of her shins with stinging and cutting force; however, the wounds were luckily nothing deep or dangerous. Suddenly thinking herself an idiot, Kelly used the Force to unlock the shackles on her wrists and proceeded to make a makeshift whip out of the chain. Swinging the handcuffs back around at her foe, the girl missed her target. Instead, the chain came all the way around and nearly hit her in the face. Improvising, she attached the shackles to chain, temporarily trapping the purple thing.

Intelligence seemed for a second to not be its forte; however that assumption quickly disappeared as the tail came back around, grabbed Kelly by the waist, and started desperately flinging the woman around. It appeared that a pair or two of pincers had gotten wrapped in the chain, making the upper part of it a prisoner and the lower a raging beast in itself. Kelly was beat against the pillar several times, probably being given a mild concussion in the process, before getting tossed across the sand about thirty feet away. Hopefully, the chain would hold that creature a bit longer. The Knight needed the rest. Her head felt like she had been run over by a bantha! A moment later, she was on the verge of losing consciousness when she heard Elaina.

"Uh, Kelly? A little help?"

The older sibling was on her back inching towards Kelly and away from the advancing spider. Like herself, the blue-eyed twin's wrists were free of any shackles and it appeared that she had been able to break one of the creature's legs. It did not however seem to have done her any good as the animal caught up still some twenty feet away from the headache-plagued woman. As the injurious-upon-touch venom dripped from its black fangs, Elaina rolled out of the way just in time to avoid an extremely painful death…only to be promptly kicked in the ribs by a hooked leg. The short, quickly muffled scream which ensued resonated throughout the echoing arena, receiving thunderous applause from the crowd.

"Elaina!" Kelly cried upon hearing the sound. She instantly felt rage flowing through her, enhancing her power, causing her to simply flick her wrist in order to break the spider's remaining legs and finish it off. The girl didn't finally kneel beside her sister until Elaina was already trying to stand, gasping in agony as she did.

"Why did you do that?! You could have simply put him to sleep!"

"Forget about the blasted spider, El!" was the snappy reply as the younger Jedi placed her hand on the bloody shirt, getting a hiss of pain in thanks. "Actually, this may be good…with the skin broken, there's a slightly less chance of major bruising and internal bleeding."

"Ha! So you were actually listening to those useless 'advanced' medical classes! Truthfully, I ignored that manual stuff after CPR, minor bruises, and lacerations."

"Hmm, so you're not 'Miss Perfect' after all." Growling, Elaina sat up for the second time, only to yell,

"Behind you!" Again, with a random flourish, Kelly killed an attacking creature: this time, hers. "Is it just me, or have you been practicing?"

"No, just many things have happened since we last saw each other."

"Uh-huh, same here."

"I can imagine," the dark brunette finalized, looking at Obi-Wan. Not giving Elaina the chance to really react, Kelly lugged her up and turned to figure out what had transpired. With her sibling leaning on her, the two sisters watched as Anakin tamed his beast, Obi-Wan dueled with his, and the injured Padme stood on the pillar watching her own. After seeing that their friends were temporarily safe riding on the Reek, they slowly walked to the pillars where Elaina sat down to catch her breath. However tough that girl was, Kelly could tell that she was hurting and needed a break, even though she really wanted to rejoin the action.

Suddenly, they were surrounding by about a dozen destroyers.

"Now, that's cheating!" she exclaimed, only to change her mind when about a hundred Jedi appeared around the arena. "Now, that's more like it!" Again, her mind changed as thousands of battle droids poured into the arena. "Come on! My headache was just starting to go away!"

"Let's go, Kelly!" Elaina interrupted, this time, dragging Kelly in retreating away from the poles and towards the oncoming Jedi on the other side of them.

--

"Aayla!" the girl yelled upon seeing her former padawan only a little ways away.

"Mistress!" she responded, tossing a pair of lightsabers to her teacher, who handed one to Kelly. "I thought you might need these."

"Where's Ahsoka?" the brunette queried.

"I think she's on a mission of some sort…high security, so she could not arrive in time."

The trio then began defending themselves in the way they knew best (other than with the Force, of course), destroying everything in their path. As luck would have it, the stupid Cavern Spider just had to kick her in the already broken ribs, so Elaina's fighting abilities were somewhat handicapped and she often was forced to use less physical methods…not that she did mind…except for the nagging pain in her side. The twins eventually found themselves in a tight circle with Obi-Wan and Master Windu. It was incredibly effective as they could deflect blows from all sides without hardly turning.

"Master…"

"Elaina, Kelly," the dark man acknowledged. "It's good to see you in one piece."

"It's good to be seen!"

Unfortunately, the little party was quickly broken up and the siblings reverted back down to a duo, fighting back-to-back.

"I miss being partners," Elaina noted as a shot bounced away to meet a droid's head.

"Me too…at least I have someone to watch my back."

"Ha ha, good thing you still have your humor."

Several minutes later, there were only about twenty Jedi clumped together in the middle of the arena, Aayla included, and the attackers unexpectedly ceased firing. Then, Dooku babbled on about Windu, recognition, surrendering, and all the other usual…stuff. Of course, Windu turned down the offer instantly, resulting in guns once more being aimed at them.

"Look!" Padme abruptly noted, motioning to the sky. Several gunships appeared out of nowhere and began firing on the surrounding droids, recommencing the shoot-out. A moment later, the surviving Jedi were given the chance to board a few of the ships.

"Elaina, come on!" Kelly called from her new post with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme; however, the older girl ignored her sister's summons and followed Windu to the craft carrying Master Yoda.

"If Dooku escapes," he said, "rally more systems to his cause he will. Injured you are," her old trainer further stated worriedly. With the woman sitting down, leaning against the side of the vessel with her right leg dangling out, she was approximately the same height as the green little Jedi, she noted as Windu waveringly sat down beside her in order to examine the wound. Obviously, she took a quick breath when he touched it.

"This wound is no slight scratch," the man observed. "You should be screaming in agony, if not unconscious."

"Oh believe me," Elaina countered, "I'm getting there."

"You can't fight with this."

"Some of these clones have medical training, don't they?! One of them can give me a temporary patch-up and I will worry about this later."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, the Knight caught her Masters nodding to each other as if to confirm some long-thought-of idea.

-Either my unavoidable promotion, or the fact that the wound is even worse than they are letting on…-

Once they had landed in a rather large clump of clones, Windu and two of the other Jedi alighted. Just as the ship was about to take off (the girl planning to hop down he second it did), the dark-toned leader returned to face Elaina, who was still momentarily sitting down.

"Elaina, go with Master Yoda to the command center. There should be a clone there who can help you."

"But…"

"Leave it up to Yoda to decide as to whether or not you return to battle."

"Yes, Master."

Of course, she wouldn't admit to the faint-worthy pain throbbing in her side, but Elaina knew that she couldn't go on fighting at that moment. She was exhausted.

--

Obviously, she was supposed to be concentrating on the Count they were chasing…but Kelly couldn't get her head around why her sister would simply go off like that without an explanation. That was a Kelly move, not Elaina!

Whoops! So much for concentrating…since Kelly had only been lightly holding on to the overhead netting, she went tumbling out with Padme and one of the clones when the vessels following them nearly made their target.

"Padme!" she faintly heard Anakin scream before hitting the burning hot, packed sand and blacking out.

Thanks for reading! Please review and vote on the poll on my profile!


	22. End of Battle, Start of War

Thanks DragonRider2000 and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

Celine Dion's "I Love You, Goodbye" goes with the third "scene," Avril Lavigne's "I Will Be" with scene 4, and Leona Lewis' "Better in Time" for the sixth…

End of Battle, Start of War

First, she had waited for a stupid clone with at least some medical training to check her injury; next, she endured what seemed like ages of agonizing poking and prodding before finally growling,

"Just give me a temporary fix and I will have it taken care of later."

"But Mistress," the clone kneeling beside her complained, "you can't go into battle like this…"

"Just do it," Elaina hissed conclusively.

"Yes, Mistress…"

Then, the Knight's eyes fell upon her leader a few feet away.

"Master Yoda? Something is wrong, isn't it?" Broken from his reverie, the little green Jedi ignored the girl and called for a ship to be brought. "Master, I am coming with you. Injured or not, I should be there…whether Dooku is defeated today or not, I also can sense that something is wrong with those closest to me."

"Over-ambitious your demands are, I think," he replied.

"Apologies...may I come with you, Master?"

"Very well…"

--

Kelly awoke to a hand roughly shaking her. Squinting in the blinding light, she staggered to her feet with Padme's help.

"Are you alright?" the senator asked prior to having a short argument with the clone with them as the Jedi ran her fingers through her short hair, trying to figure out exactly what had happened during the past few minutes...oh right! She fell out of the ship…idiot! "Kelly?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine…you?"

"A couple of bruises and a nice slash from that horrible creature…other than that, I'm alright."

With that, the little group took a three-minute run back to the main field, where they were forced to fight their way through a clump of droids before reaching the clone command center.

--

"That's brave of you, boy…but foolish," Dooku could be heard saying as the pod dropped Yoda and Elaina off at the landing platform. "I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson."

At the sound of lightsabers colliding, the woman turned to her companion impatiently.

"Why are we not helping?"

"Patience, my young former padawan," Yoda replied, closing his eyes as in preparation. It was then that Elaina realized the height she wished to attain. She had already displayed interest and talent in focusing on the Force. Now, she needed to bring that to its full potential…on the Council with Yoda.

"Anakin," she suddenly whispered in horror upon hearing her brother gasp in pain. She couldn't wait any longer. Overcoming the returning pain, Elaina ran as fast as she could (not actually very fast with broken ribs) into the room to where Anakin and Obi-Wan were lying on the floor. The former was missing an arm, while the latter possessed two slashes in the arm and leg. Dooku was just beginning to approach them as the girl rushed onto the scene and practically fell down in front of her injured companions…so much for a graceful entrance.

Easing back to her feet, the Knight faced her enemy…anything to keep him away from her…her sister's love. Was she crazy?! With hardly any effort, the Count could cause irreparable damage. Already, her ribs were on their way to doing just that. Maybe leaving the command center wasn't such a good idea…

"Elaina Jinn!" Dooku exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. "You do realize that one false move on your part alone could kill you, right now, do you not? The damage you acquired from that spider has significantly limited your abilities."

"You forget, Count, that I would not be in this position if not for that chair you hit me with in order to capture me in the first place. Now, onto a different subject: your treachery. You can still atone for your bloody actions on this day and spare many more lives, Jedi and civilian, if you come back from the dark path you have chosen…reveal your master's identity and end this conflict before it turns into a pointless full-scale war."

Pause. Had she convinced him? No such luck…Had Yoda decided to help, yet? Not that, either…

"Mistress Elaina, you have been misled on so many levels! As to the path of the dark side which you talk of with such disdain…once you choose that road, there is no going back. The level of power and enlightenment that it brings could never be even be reached by the Jedi order!"

"You are wrong. Your master has deceived and misled you, Count…and you can return, I am certain of it."

"Ah, Elaina…you are so like your father: stubborn, determined…misled. You have the same eyes, hair, and more…enhanced, of course, by your rather unique gift. You could bring so much to…"

Just in time to cut off another positive lecture on the dark side, Yoda finally made his entrance, probably having caught the fact that Dooku had addressed her as 'Jinn'. While the two unscathed fighters dueled, the woman nearly collapsed beside the two men closest to her…yet so far. Anakin was unconscious, but in no danger of death, therefore she crawled back behind Obi-Wan so she could still warily watch for if the battle neared her or if Yoda needed help, though that was just as likely a possibility as her living through it. She literally had to use the Force to keep from coughing…a strange use of her talent, yes; but she didn't want to disrupt her master.

"Are you alright?" Elaina whispered, randomly studying the man's arm wound.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied, obviously being distracted by the nearby fight for a moment prior to looking Elaina dead in the face, "…but you aren't."

"It is nothing advanced medical science cannot fix." With that, she went into a short fit of coughing, unable to contain it any longer. It took no great pains, however, to hide the fresh blood on her sleeve, since it was already stained from clutching her side. The throbbing had finally escalated so far as to send frequent tremors through her small frame.

"Elaina, tell me the truth. How severe are your injuries?"

"Just forget about it!" she hissed with sudden vehemence, putting her head in her hands. It was finally hitting her that, if Kelly and Obi-Wan really became involved romantically, she would have to live with it. Her world spun before her, physically from the injury and mentally from the heartbreak. Even as Dooku caused a large pillar to fall on a collision course for her and her friends, she didn't look up. Other than having complete trust in Yoda, Elaina almost wished that her misery could be ended. Was there even a reason to live without Obi-Wan?

Yes, there were many reasons: the Jedi needed her to fight, to counsel, to help in every way possible. It was her birth right, what and who she was. As an Enduring Warrior, she was obligated to live on and fulfill her purpose, whatever it might be; however, she would always be haunted by her feelings for Obi-Wan, unless she somehow got over him. It was unlikely, though.

"Elaina?" The girl lifted her head. Dooku had fled (cowardly wimp that he was), Yoda had reclaimed his cane, and Padme and Kelly were finally entering the room, running towards the grounded trio. Summoning her last bit of strength, Elaina helped Obi-Wan stand, practically handing him over to her sibling, whispering to the younger woman,

"Your turn…"

Instantly, upon having Obi-Wan's leaning shifted to her own shoulder, Kelly's scowl of disappointed disdain turned into a wide-eyed stare of compassionate shock; however, Elaina didn't give her or the Anakin-supporting Padme a chance to say anything either way, nodding towards the exit. They luckily complied quickly enough without any questions, soon leaving the Knight waveringly standing in the middle of the room with only her master nearby. The coughing had started up again. A moment of silence ensued for several moments until she finally shuffled over to the ancient figure and knelt down, saying,

"Master, if that offer for a position on the Council is still open, I am now willing to accept it and hopefully achieve my full potential through it."

"Elaina Jinn," he answered slowly, the girl cringing upon hearing her last name, "many 'positions' will become 'available' before the end of this war, I fear, but the first will you be."

"Thank you for your patience, Master."

"Now, will your stubbornness allow you medical attention…now that approaching the threshold of no return you are?"

-Bloody genius…-

Elaina lacked the time to think anything else before she collapsed, unconscious.

--

(Two days later, evening)

The young woman waited outside the nearly empty Council chambers around the corner, so as to remain unseen. She was all decked out in black leather: a sleeveless, V-neck top, pants, and thigh-high boots with one-inch heels that lengthened her already tall figure. Her black hair was unusually clipped back and out of her face, though its short extent still kept her from doing much further with it. Kelly was waiting for the man she loved…and he loved her! She still couldn't get over the fact that she had actually attained that little two-way emotion!

But then there was her concern for Elaina. During the trip back to Coruscant, upon hearing that the older twin had collapsed on Geonosis, Kelly had raced to the ship's infirmary. Apparently even five more minutes of going without medical attention would have killed the girl as her broken ribs had caused internal bleeding…and it wouldn't have been a very nice way to die. Anyway, even at that moment, Elaina Jinn, as she had come to be called since the revelation of their identities, was in the Jedi medical center recuperating…poor thing. Did Kelly have a right to take Obi-Wan for herself, with Elaina most probably still madly in love with him also? Yes, actually, she did. They had made a deal and it was fulfilled, like all of their other promises throughout the years.

But now they were separated even more than they had become over the past ten years: Elaina's promotion, the second change of their names (Kelly Skywalker and Elaina Jinn), Kelly gaining a relationship and leaving Elaina in the dust…

"Wait a second!" she whispered, walking to a nearby balcony to look out at the sunset. Elaina was the one who got all of the attention, promotions, preference, everything! No, she would savor her single advantage. She wouldn't rub it in the older twin's face…she wasn't that type, but she would still savor it.

"Kelly?" a more-than-welcome voice queried from behind the Knight as a warm, strong arm was placed around her shoulders. "Your fair brow is furrowed. Does something bother you?"

"Apparently, you have gone blind. My 'brow' is actually quite dark."

"You know what I mean."

"How is this relationship going to work, Obi-Wan? Other than trying to live two lives at once, the only other option would be to run away and leave everything behind…and I have the feeling that you would prefer not doing either, but we have to make a decision."

Clearly, the problem had troubled the man also as his grip on the girl's shoulder tightened slightly.

"For now, we will see how this war progresses. The way Master Yoda was talking of it, there are many possible outcomes, whether they are in a few years or a century."

"I can't wait…or I should say that you can't wait. Historically following Enduring Warriors, I won't actually show any signs of age for at least another seventy-five years. Obi-Wan, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can't wait years!"

"Patience! The order will have need of us during this war, so I think we can temporarily put off our selfish desires and give all the aid we can. I need your support on this decision."

It was one of the hardest choices of her life, right alongside leaving Tatooine. Just like that time, though, it was vital that she cooperate.

"Very well…we will wait."

As his eyes sparkled in the dying light, Kelly's thoughts flashed to her sister; however, she quickly pushed that out of her mind as it only caused her more confusion. For the moment, she was happier than she had been for years. After so much time of wondering, she was content.

"When the time comes, where do you want to live?"

Being the kind and caring person he was, Obi-Wan was clearly trying to get both of their minds off of the nearby tragedies, but Kelly enjoyed the thought.

"Well, I wouldn't want to stay in one place for too long (you know me and my love for traveling…any kind of movement), but I'd want to go to Corellia for little while, maybe longer. Elaina went there on a negotiation mission two years ago and said that it was a beautiful place, nice people, good weather."

"We'll see. We have plenty of time for that sort of planning."

"I hope so…because I love you so much."

He smiled an agreement.

--

Dexter exited the Jedi infirmary, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, trying to figure out where that Jedi had gone. It was pretty much what everyone else in the medical center was doing, except that Dex had a somewhat good idea of where Elaina would wander. Having heard of Elaina's injury the day before, he had made a resolve to visit her before she was released.

Strangely, however, when he had asked after her, no one was able to find her and everyone went into a panic. It had taken the stranger nearly ten minutes to quiet them down and convince them that he would search for the girl. Pulling his uncommonly clean shirt down for hundredth time, Dex took a few random turns to begin his search.

--

1. Escape from the infirmary; 2. Take a shower; 3. Go to the Council room; 4. Find somewhere quiet to think.

Elaina was fulfilling step four of her plan as she discovered a small, open balcony facing the sunset. The sweeping sheer sleeves and floor-length skirt of her deep blue, madrigal-style dress fluttered in the warm breeze. As much as she was not fond of civilization, the Knight had come to appreciate Coruscant, the city-planet. Considering the amount of people and technology, the air was quite clean. Closing her eyes, Elaina tried to forget for once that she was a Jedi with more responsibility than any woman deserved to have on her shoulders. That was one reason she had donned the beautiful dress instead of something more sporty.

Then a slightly colder breeze hit her. She was alone…but not completely.

"Elaina! There you are!"

"Hello, Dex. What are you doing here in the temple?" the girl asked, wiping a stray tear from her cheek before turning around to face the friendly alien as he joined her. "You shouldn't be here, should you?"

"I have my connections. You gave the medical center staff quite a scare. In fact, from what I heard, you should be resting for another week…your injury being so severe."

"Dex…" She cut off momentarily to contain her heightening voice and protesting ribs. Every movement caused that. "Dex, I have been up for over an hour. I was promoted to the Council. It was a small ceremony, even smaller than usual, but pleasant. Hardly a fair trade, though. I would give anything, my position, my life, to have what Kelly has won. She may be less-thought-of by the Council and everyone else, but she at least has someone to love her. In that respect, she is the privileged one, while I am on the outskirts watching. Dex, you have always counseled me when others could not. What am I to do? It may seem a silly question, but I think it is justified."

There was a momentary pause as the Jedi couple of the topic passed by through the nearby hall, completely enthralled by each other, talking and laughing. As it had been for the past two days, Elaina's emotional giveaway was blond.

"Mistress (I suppose I should call you that now, with your promotion and all), my 'counsel', as you call it, has only ever confirmed your suspicions whenever it is of a more personal matter. It has always been the same, as it is now. From what you have told me over the years, I can easily gather that you will never 'get over' him…but you have to live on and share your experience and knowledge with those who come after you."

No words could have expressed the Jedi's gratitude, so only a look passed between the two friends before she changed the subject.

"With my injury, the Council is giving me a leave of absence before I take up my duties as one of them…I was thinking Kashyyyk. Ever since Master Yoda introduced me to the Wookies as his padawan, I can't get over the courtesy of those wonderful fur-balls, especially that one…Chewbacca, I think, but I gave him a nickname: Chewy. He has such a wonderful sense of humor for his species."

"I think you may heal after all, Mistress."

"And, after I do, I will help my sister become all she can in both her duties and relationship."

--

"Was that Elaina I just saw on that balcony?" Kelly suddenly asked, for once turning away from Obi-Wan. She had hardly taken her eyes off of him during the past ten minutes, almost afraid that it was all a dream and she would wake up.

"What do you mean? Elaina is in the infirmary, resting, not milling about. She's not nearly as foolish as you."

"Obi-Wan, stop it! You're such a tease."

"Of course…"

With that, they both burst out laughing, an obvious rarity for the always serious Jedi Knight.

Thanks for reading! Please review and vote!

Well, that's another movie done and over with. Next chapter will start with the third movie. I hope you all enjoy it! Also, if I don't update for, let's say, a few weeks...it's because of writer's block. Therefore, I have to refigure what exactly my characters will be doing during the next movie...anyway, just thought I'd let you know! :)


	23. Suspect and Rescue

Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

Sorry everyone for my terrible delay in updating, but I needed to get advice from my editor (also the person upon whom Kelly is based), refresh my memory with the occurrences of the movie…you get the picture. Thank you so much for everyone's patience and support. You're what keep these stories truly going!

Also, I have a trailer for my future Inheritance Cycle fanfiction on youtube. You can find the link on my profile.

Joan Osbourne's "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted" goes with the 1st scene and Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" with the 2nd…

Suspect and Rescue

Only one year of the three between that moment and the Geonosis incident had been spent on missions. Even they were nothing but negotiating one treaty after another or fighting some pointless battle where lightsabers and the Force were of practically no use. The other two years had included only four things: Council meetings, training younglings with Master Yoda, regrets, and, most prominently, investigating the identity of the Sith master.

"Two years and three dead ends," Elaina growled as she made her way through the library carrying her usual mug of stim tea. It still being somewhat early in the morning, she was only on her third serving. When she had first begun the little habit of bringing a hot beverage along with her three years before when fellow Council members had given her specifically the assignment of finding the unknown Sith lord, the head archivist had heatedly displayed her dislike of any sort of beverage being near the terminals. Obviously, Elaina had won that debate; however, her luck had not served her constantly.

Her first two Sith suspects had been senators whose only "suspicious" actions were inconspicuous charity work. That was when the Jedi Mistress' popularity plummeted about fifty percent. Precisely one year and a month prior to the present time, she had cut those statistics by half through accusing a Council member of all people! Then came the complete year of off-world assignments.

They had all said that it was because her "talents were needed elsewhere," but she knew better. Now, a month had passed since her return and Elaina was on the verge of yet another possible target. The only difference was that she would take it to the next level, confrontation, on her own. There was no reason to humiliate herself…again. So much for that promotion to a Jedi Consular!

Upon her reaching her accustomed terminal, Elaina found it to be occupied by one of the newer Knights who had yet to learn their place. A death glare easily sent him skittering across the library without even taking the time to finish his research. With the Clone War going on, the Council had foolishly begun promoting unready padawans in their desperation for inside help. Sitting down with her still-steaming drink, the twenty-nine year old woman quickly hit the "cancel button" before putting her cup in the nearby holder and using a thin band of stretchy leather on her wrist to put her ever-growing hair into a make-shift bun.

For the most part, Elaina's general appearance had stayed the same; but, being an Enduring Warrior, certain features were always subject to change. Her golden hair and ocean-like eyes had lost their infamous luster (oddly soon after the Battle of Geonosis). Specifically, the hair looked almost exactly like her father's: light brown and wavy. The only variation with that were the persistent streaks. Millimeter-wide strands of random black and blond coursed throughout the entire expanse of her hip-length tresses, nearly always earning second glances from new-comers. However much, though, the brown majority of Elaina's hair resembled that of Qui-Gon, her eyes eliminated any doubt. Having somewhat paled, the cloudy blue orbs of depth perfectly matched those of the deceased Knight.

Being done with her research, the girl began downloading the information onto a datapad and leaned back in her seat. This would turn out to be a full day: Aayla's unexpected promotion to the Council at dawn and accusing a powerful politician of high treason later. This time, however, she was certain. It was her most risky charge, but she was right. She had to be…or else, things would start to backfire.

But what about Obi-Wan? What about him? Three years ago, he had rejected her, yet she still found her eyes following him as he rounded the corners of the Jedi temple. Her heart was broken. No one could fix that. It was simply something she had stumbled through life with for three years and would continue doing so.

Elaina gulped in order to keep the tears from coming before unplugging the datapad. 'Don't cry over spilt milk'.

--

Only an hour or so more and she would be back on Coruscant and out of the stuffy, lonely (not including R5) fighter! She would be back with Obi-Wan, whom she hadn't seen for nearly three months! Maybe he had finally decided whether or not to take their relationship to the next level. Anakin and Padme had, though no one else but her, that she knew of, was knowledgeable of that fact. So far, that situation had worked out fine.

Kelly's friendship with the finally Coruscant-based senator had only bloomed further over the past three years. The Knight had been the tutor of more efficient defensive and offensive methods for the younger woman, while Padme had influenced Kelly to be a bit more…appreciative of the simple enjoyments of being a woman. The Jedi's wardrobe had expanded twice its previous volume, enough to rival her twin's combination closet of gowns, robes, and mission attire.

Speaking of the older sibling, Elaina had become a bit of a recluse since…well since she made what was probably the most difficult choice of her life. But the fact was: Kelly got Obi-Wan and Elaina received her oh-so-well-earned promotion. She didn't know how the older sister had really been enjoying her lofty status, but personally, Kelly was content.

Concerning the finally completed mission, it wasn't anything particularly exciting…just a few political leaders rising up on a planet near the Outer Rim which was considering joining the Republic. With the rise of the Sith, it was now a common thing for power-hungry politicians to find the ever-growing group of Separatists tempting. At least the planet Kelly had just visited wouldn't join in on that campaign…thanks to her expanding abilities.

Since joining the Jedi ranks, her potential had been continuously growing. The only people who seemed to care about that were the Chancellor and…well, Palpatine was pretty much the only person any more who seemed to care about truly guiding the Knight with her decisions; however, some of the man's suggestions were a bit over-the-top.

Appearance-wise, like her sister, Kelly's looks had stayed the same for the most part. Her eye colors ran rampant, changing shades often unexpectedly with her seemingly ever-changing moods. Her hair, having turned back to its original dark chocolate, straight, brown, courtesy of her mother, was definitely fashioned differently than from three years before. Style-wise, the woman had grown it down to her waist and given it a layered appearance, the layers starting at approximately the nape of her neck.

For clothing, Kelly wore thigh-high brown leather boots with inch heels, a black soft leather, knee-length skirt which had enough "flow" to it for plenty of flexibility, a short-sleeved stretchy silk shirt with sleeves that slightly hung off of her shoulders and the bodice of which possessed a hard armor-like effect, and finally, brown leather wrist guards.

For at least the tenth time in an hour, the girl squirmed a bit in her chair. Three months! She couldn't believe she had gone that long without seeing him! Ever since their romantic realization, Obi-Wan and Kelly had spent nearly all of their free time together…free time being when the former wasn't at Council meeting and neither of them were on separate missions. Oh, but what joy Kelly Skywalker felt whenever she was given the privilege of accompanying her beloved on missions!

Only an hour…

--

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was standing in his office, waiting, as he had been since sunrise. Even though the sun was already well over the horizon, he still stood there, thinking. Some people, senators, Jedi, and others, had begun suspecting him of being…less than on their side. This would surely puff out those wayward thoughts! Then, he would once again be able to go on with his plans without confrontation.

His thoughts were interrupted by his assistant entering.

"Sir, there's a Jedi Knight outside. She wishes to speak with you."

With a slight hope that the visitor was Kelly Skywalker returned from her last mission, Palpatine sent the assistant to fetch her. To his slight but momentary disappointment, Elaina Jinn was the one who soon entered through the doorway, carrying a foot-wide black datapad. The man nearly smiled, not all because he was happy to see her, but because she seemed to have so much despair about her…and he knew why. It hardly took him any time to figure out in the beginning that, like her sincere twin, she was completely infatuated by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then, he rejected her, she was promoted to the Council, and it was all down-hill from there. Every day, she came closer to being a candidate for a Sith; however, if she was anything like the historical Turanga Silvereyes, that wouldn't be as easy to push her over the close-at-hand edge.

Elaina looked elegant as ever, even though her clothes were not exactly a very regal style, if at all. From bottom to top, she wore rather traditional, knee-high, brown boots, very much like what Obi-Wan wore, except they were more feminine and sleek. Under and above these was a pair of loose, light brown rawhide pants. Next, there was a white, linen, long sleeve shirt with baggy sleeves and a neckline which hung off of her shoulders and would have been quite nearly revealing if not for the shoulder-strap-possessing leather corset setting off her figure. Finally, her peculiar hair was confined in a high, simple bun and her lightsaber, her only weapon, was attached to a belt circling her hips.

Her presence would be a problem for his plan, but all would work out in the end. He had foreseen it to be so. In fact, her presence might even be his leverage to convincing the Council of his innocence.

"Mistress Ka…" he began, only to cut himself off upon approaching the young woman. "I'm sorry…Mistress Jinn. I still have not gotten used to addressing you by that name, yet."

Having seemed troubled, confused, and angry upon her entrance, Elaina's emotions seemed to have been re-leashed during the Chancellor's short dialogue. She simply stared at him for a moment before really reacting to him. The sound of her voice quite shocked him, though she was completely nonchalant.

"You seem comfortable enough with my sister's name, M'Lord," the girl stated matter-of-factly. It wasn't really her words which had surprised the man. It was the slight, newly-formed accent that went along with it; however, barely noticeable to the casual observer. The accent was nearly indecipherably, yet obviously, similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi's. She was actually quite exquisite…once you got past the much-less-than-formidable height, fiery stubbornness, and outwardly undying loyalty to the Jedi order.

Upon seeing the Chancellor's lack of reaction, one of the fingers of her hidden hand behind the upright datapad came into view.

"Simply because I see your dear sister, who is frequently on missions, more than I see you…and you hardly have ever left. Oh, right…I take that back. You were gone for a year."

Another finger hesitantly was lifted, only to be re-hidden after a moment.

"Aren't you supposed to not be Supreme Chancellor by now? I heard about all of the 'emergency powers' and all, but now that we are getting closer to being on the winning side, should the Senate not be preparing for the next election?"

"We shall see; however, I doubt that anything will happen for some time to change circumstances."

The finger came back.

"Alright, Sidious, drop the act. I know who you are and don't even try hiding it any longer."

"I beg your pardon?" Palpatine bluffed as he went back around his desk and sent a coded message with updated directions.

"I understand that you fooled everyone up to this point; however, it is pointless now. Soon, everyone will know of your deception and your hopeful reign will be at an abrupt end."

Still determined to maintain his façade, he replied,

"I have noticed, Mistress Jedi, that you have accused three other men of power during the past three years. Accusing me only stresses your position even more."

Confusion reappeared on the girl's face.

"What are you talking about?...my position…?"

"Oh come now…were you really foolish enough to attempt covering your treachery by putting the blame on others? I thought you were smarter than that…and more faithful to the oaths you swore to the order!"

"What makes you even think it a possibility of me being the traitor?!"

Now, he had her emotions on the run.

"They are not my assumptions, Elaina. They are those of the Council. You didn't think they sent you away for a year just to release some built-up steam, did you? Yes, even now, your beloved Masters Yoda and Windu are debating the matter."

"How could you know such things?"

"I meet with them on occasion…rather frequently, actually, with the war in progress and alliances needing to be kept intact."

"What?!" she cried, dropping the datapad and collapsing into a nearby chair. "How could they think that? I knew they did not trust me as much…and the other way around…but how could they? They practically raised me!"

The Chancellor, having returned to the seat behind his desk, was about to answer; however, the dying screams of his assistant outside the door cut him off. Before either the politician or the Knight was able to even stand, Count Dooku stepped through the door, causing both arguing parties to freeze momentarily. Finally, Palpatine stood.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't have time to answer your questions, Chancellor," the Sith lord began. He stopped short upon seeing Elaina. "Why, Mistress Jinn! We meet again. And a pleasure to see you it is, as always. Shall we?"

About a dozen people with guns aimed at them had appeared in the doorway.

--

(approximately an hour later)

"Bloody…blasted…bad guys!"

Kelly continued yelling such nonsense as she swerved her ship to avoid a wayward missile and fired at the still-active shield generators of the lead Separatist ship.

Right after exiting hyperspace, her carefree mood had been ruined by the sudden realization of an ongoing, vicious battle in the space above Coruscant. A moment later, R5 had caught sight of two Jedi fighters entering the command ship via the docking bay. After destroying several enemy fighters, the girl at last managed to get her wits about her in order to consider helping whichever Jedi had entered the vessel.

That been nearly ten minutes (or longer) ago. Kelly's ship was damaged, R5 destroyed by buzz droids, and the bay doors were automatically closing, barely giving the Knight enough time to slip through and crash land.

"R2!" she called to the little droid (after having left her craft and run to the disabled elevators). A series of hyperactive whistles came in quick succession to her exclamation. The Chancellor had been captured, presumably by Dooku, who was seen escaping with his prize and Elaina…who had seemed to give no objection…and Obi-Wan and Anakin had found a way in.

Suddenly, the ship began tilting, one of the stabilizers probably having been hit, and both human and droid proceeded to slide. The next few moments were spent using the Force to keep debris from colliding with either of them as they continued falling. Their fall wasn't halted until they dropped into a pile of robot parts. By chance, the woman didn't land head-first.

"So, where to next?" R2's periscope quickly appeared, followed by a series of high-pitched squeals. "Alright, I get the idea…it's complicated! I'll just follow you, then."

--

_Upon stepping onto the overlooking balcony, Obi-Wan caught sight of two more-prominent subjects, the first being the Chancellor, strapped into a swiveling chair, and the second being (shockingly) Elaina, standing a few feet away from Palpatine with two battle droids flanking her and glaring at the man. Truly, the Knight had not expected to see his distant friend until returning to the planet, and possibly not even then. Of course, Elaina had indeed become prone to doing such oddities during the past few years._

_As soon as the men began descending the staircase, her head snapped to face them, though she said nothing. With a quick glance back at Palpatine, the girl began swiftly walking towards a side exit on the other end of the room, closely followed by her mechanical charges._

_Trying to ignore the side issue, Obi-Wan approached the captive and bowed, as was proper._

"_Chancellor…"_

"_Are you alright?" Anakin put in worriedly._

_Ignoring the query, Palpatine looked behind them, muttering,_

"_Count Dooku."_

_Before fully turning to face the Sith, the man watched Elaina step through a small doorway. She had been watching him. He was certain of it._

"_I apologize for her abrupt departure," Dooku stated, still on the balcony. "There were matters she had to attend to."_

_What sort of 'matters' would a Jedi Council member be 'attending to' on an enemy ship?_

At the moment, both Jedi and the Chancellor were standing before General Grievous. Insults had been shared, shock voiced, and introductions passed around. The entire time, Elaina had been simply quietly standing in the forward section of the room, staring out the window. No one had paid any attention to her in the least.

"Anakin, try not to upset him. We still have a job to do."

"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection," Grievous obliviously said.

"Not this time. And this time you won't escape."

"R2!" Anakin called, summoning more than either of them expected. In addition to R2 spitting electricity out of every single one of his extended arms, Elaina leapt towards Grievous and took three of the confiscated lightsabers, tossing two to her fellow Jedi and keeping the other, while Kelly, of all people, flew out of nowhere and onto the scene, lightsaber blazing.

--

Chaos ensued. For the next several minutes, they all fought, destroyed nearly all of the droids, and nearly succeeded in catching Grievous; however, he escaped by breaking the window and allowing himself to fly out. It took the remaining occupants a few seconds to realize that their enemies were gone and that the ship was now in need of the attention. It was falling…apart and down.

Kelly tried rushing to the controls, but Anakin beat her to it, so she settled on standing behind him.

"All escape pods have been launched," her youngest companion pointed out. With that, the young woman looked for her sister. Elaina turned out to be sitting behind one of the control center, looking very glum. Still twirling her lightsaber between her fingers, she looked up towards Kelly, a tear silently sliding down her cheek. It utterly surprised the younger girl that she wasn't cringing at the constant jerks of the ship and orders from Anakin to Obi-Wan in the copilot seat.

Sliding down to her twin's level, Kelly looked at her straight in the eye.

"What happened to you?"

Parting her chapped lips in surprise, Elaina whispered in reply,

"What are you talking about? I was just kidnapped and interrogated by a Sith lord and you're asking what happened to me?!"

"Alright, let's take this a step back. How did you get here…on this ship?"

"I was visiting the Chancellor…"

"What? Why would you do that? I thought you hated the Chancellor."

"Kelly…please don't! I do not need this right now."

Kelly simply stood, walked to Anakin, and tried taking the controls, only to be gruffly pushed back. No one had been the same since the war started, except for Palpatine, who had helped her through everything. Suddenly, everyone jolted forward as the craft crash-landed in the airport and came to a stuttering stop.

"I could have done so much better."

"Oh please," Anakin responded. "We would have burnt up in the atmosphere if you had been in charge."

Kelly faked a pout but they were soon all laughing, except for Elaina, who was once again staring out the window.

"Well," Obi-Wan put in, running his fingers through his hair as his lover leaned down from behind and put her arms around his neck, "another happy landing!"

Thanks for reading and please review!


	24. The Outcomes of Love

Thanks DragonRider2000 and Katie Ladmoore for your reviews!

Dido's "White Flag" goes with scenes 2-3 and Marie Digby's "Say It Again" is for scene 4…

The Outcomes of Love

During the entire shuttle trip to the senate office building, Kelly had a hard time keeping her hand from slipping into that of Obi-Wan, who happened to be sitting right next to her. She spent the whole time arguing with Anakin over whether or not she would have been able to land the ship more efficiently. So far, it was a complete stalemate.

"Whatever," the boy growled, standing as the pod slowed to a stop, "…I still think I'm right, though."

"Yeah, right," Kelly whispered back, rising as well and strolling over to the door. Elaina didn't move a muscle. Anakin, R2, Palpatine, and the female Knight then departed from the craft to be greeted by a party of senators, droids, and Jedi.

"Are you coming, Master?"

"Oh, no," the handsome man replied, leaning against the doorway, "I'm not brave enough for politics. Elaina and I have to report to the Council. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy…and girl."

"Hold on! This whole operation was your idea."

"Let us not forget, Anakin, that you rescued me from the buzz droids…and you killed Count Dooku and rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back."

Kelly couldn't help but giggle at that picture, receiving fake glares from both men.

"All because of your training…"

It just then dawned on the girl that all of flattery was just to get out of being with politicians.

"Anakin, let's be fair. Today, you are the hero and you deserve your glorious day with politicians."

"Alright, but you owe me one…and not for saving your skin for the tenth time."

"Ninth time," Obi-Wan quickly corrected, "…that business on Cato Nemoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefing."

"Ah!" the female Knight interjected before anyone could escape. "You still haven't convinced me, yet."

"Come now, Kelly…haven't you dragged me through enough of your charades?"

"Oh fine, be that way and miss out on all the fun."

For once, shockingly enough, Obi-Wan didn't fall for her pitiful pout she always gave him when not getting her way. While Anakin stood with the throng of senators as Palpatine spoke with Windu, she caught sight of a familiar face that her brother had temporarily over-looked. Making sure to be as discreet as possible, Kelly trotted to one of the huge pillars and peeked behind it.

"Well, hello, Senator."

"Kelly!" Padme exclaimed, embracing her friend. "I must admit I didn't quite expect to see you return with an entourage such as this."

"Yes, well," she replied with a haughty grin, "…I'm just that popular. Oh, here comes your dear husband. I'd better go occupy the mob. See you later."

After walking some distance away, Kelly stayed within sight range just long enough to see the couple embrace. In probably a few hours, it would be her turn to race around a corner and show affection for the one she loved.

"Kelly, may I have a word with you in my office when all of these politics are taken care of?" the Chancellor suddenly queried, having temporarily broken away from the flock of senators.

"Of course…Chancellor."

--

Awkward…that was probably the only word that could properly describe the atmosphere during the trip back to the Jedi temple. Three years after the unveiling of her feelings and he still treated her like a…well there was really no word to describe that. What probably heightened the feeling even more was an incident or two during the times she had paired up with Obi-Wan while off-world. Kelly might have claimed and been claimed by the striking man; however, that hadn't stopped Elaina's feelings from occasionally springing forth.

For ten years, the young woman had had her eyes on no other man…a chance for something more than what she had…but it had been snatched away from her…no, she had given it away to none other than her beloved sister. It was also one of the reasons, most likely, for the Council's doubts in her allegiances. But why would they suspect her alone? Who had instigated the suspicion after being trusted so well for so long? What had she really done to deserve this? How could they do that to her?

"Elaina, are you alright?"

Her eyes shot up from staring at the shuttle's floor and her death-grip on the seat cushion relaxed instantly. Obi-Wan must have sensed her boiling emotions. It was true that she had changed much in a short time, from having been nearly always unreadable to suddenly having every little thing throw her over the edge. She needed to go somewhere quiet…fast.

Back on the subject of Obi-Wan, Elaina was still fascinated by him. One glance sent her internally blushing. It wasn't really her fault…then again, she had been trained, drilled to suppress feelings such as that. She just needed to relearn that. Then again, it was not any error on her part that had driven the man away. It was really no one's fault. She would just have to deal with it…longer…for the rest of her life.

"Elaina?"

"Yes, I am fine." Momentarily, she was fine…and back to 'square one' of the argument with herself.

"Good, because we're here."

"Your point is…?"

The look in his eyes as he stepped out of the pod confused her. Was he scared?…annoyed? Poor Elaina had no idea what lay ahead of her at the Council meeting.

--

"It was only because of Kelly's impeccable timing and Anakin's expert flying that we were able to even partially succeed in the mission," Obi-Wan was concluding about a half an hour later in the Council room. He and Elaina, still rather glum, were both standing the middle of the floor reporting the goings-on, as was required. The entire Council had practically frozen, as if about to explode, when the girl had given a rough-draft of her visit with the Chancellor, of course leaving out what was actually said.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Windu stated after a moment of thought. "You may take a seat now." When Elaina moved to follow the actions of her 'friend', the Jedi master stopped her. "However, you, Elaina…there is something that needs to be discussed."

Even Obi-Wan, shocking as it was, looked a bit perplexed from his relaxed position in his chair. Yoda's ears were drooping and he wouldn't meet her eyes. Aayla, wonderful and young as she was, sat upright and alert, clearly on edge. Everyone else, Windu included, simply looked at her with an indecipherable stare. Having once again finally suppressed her emotions, Elaina's only outward reaction was to cock her head.

"What is the matter? Did I do something wrong?" she queried. The dark former trainer of her twin looked uncomfortable for a moment prior to simply sighing and opening his mouth to continue. Elaina braced herself.

"Mistress Jinn, you are under investigation for treason against the Republic and the Jedi order."

She sensed no surprise from anyone other than herself…doubt, perhaps, but not surprise. All of them had known about it. Obi-Wan had kept the truth from her.

"How," she stuttered slightly before licking her lips and going on with more control. "How long have I been under investigation?"

"A little over a year," was the unwavering reply. Thoughts boiled over as Elaina shot a glare at the man she had cared for so much. He had known! All that time, he had known and hidden it from her! What made the woman even more perturbed was how she was still insanely in love with that man, even while feeling so betrayed.

"What to these accusations do you say, Elaina?" Yoda asked hesitantly, apparently expecting a snappy answer. Wouldn't he be surprised?

"I deny it," Elaina said in a leveled tone. "I admit that I have made my mistakes, but how could you think that I would betray you? I have worked so hard to investigate and defeat the Sith and now, you suspect me of having joined them? Master Yoda, you know me better than anyone. You know that I could never do that. Master Windu, as my sister's instructor, you remember how I helped you convince Kelly to do certain things when no one else could. Obi-Wan, you know nearly all of my secrets. You know how I loathe the Sith, nearly more than anyone."

She bit her tongue to keep from continuing onto every single Jedi in the room. The message, however, seemed to have gotten across; however, as a final note…

"How much longer will this investigation persist?"

"As long as it needs to…but, throughout the rest of this inquiry, you must remain on Coruscant."

With tight lips Elaina replied,

"As you wish, Master," and walked out, to their apparent disdain.

--

The next morning, after the Outer Rim briefing, Kelly and Obi-Wan were just starting to switch off the holograms and maps. Elaina had been one of the first to depart.

"Obi-Wan," the girl began, her teasing smile fading for a moment, "is something wrong with Elaina? She's hardly said anything since yesterday."

Pausing, he looked her dead in the face, his own contorted by an obvious frown.

"The situation itself is confidential and, knowing her, she probably won't want to talk about it."

Kelly was just about to dig further for information, but Anakin suddenly entered.

"You missed the report on the Outer Rim sieges."

"I'm sorry, I was held up. I have no excuse," the young Knight said somewhat humbly as the other two finished shutting down the systems.

"In short, they are going very well. Saleucamia has fallen and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity."

"What's wrong, then?"

"The Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today."

"Well, that can only mean less deliberating and more action. Is that bad? It will make it easier for us to end this war."

"As usual, I second that," Kelly put in; however, with far less enthusiasm than she once had. The conversation was once again carried on by the men.

"Both of you, be careful of your friend Palpatine."

"Be careful of what?"

"He has requested your presence."

And on and on they went for the next few minutes. The girl simply slipped her hand into her lover's as they exited the conference room. She was reluctant to even be submissive in going to the Chancellor. All she wanted to do at the moment was be with Obi-Wan.

"Kelly, aren't you coming?"

"You go ahead, Annie," Kelly replied, tightening her grip on the hand she was holding. "I'll meet up with you in a little while."

"Your loss."

"Definitely not…"

"Ah, I see how it is."

"What?!" both older Jedi exclaimed, stepping away from each other. To the outside observer, it was probably quite comical…both with hands behind their backs and a wearing a rather "caught" look.

"Master…and here you always reprimanded me for chasing after Padme!"

"You're joking!" Obi-Wan weakly defended, attempting to use his superiority in order to make Anakin back down. "What makes you think that I would tell you not to do one thing and then turn around and do it? Think about that."

The former padawan only shook his head, laughing.

"Never mind…"

No one was anywhere to be seen besides the two lovers after the boy had left; therefore, affection was theirs to show. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered,

"I missed you…you know that?"

"I love you…did you know that?"

"Say it again."

"I love you."

"I might say the same thing."

"Then, why don't you?"

"I love you, too." Finally, after three months of being apart, their lips met; however, the happiness was not meant to last for long. "Have you considered my suggestion?"

Obi-Wan instantly released his hold on her and led her to walk down the hall.

"The order needs us a little longer. The war's end is within our grasp. Once we have achieved that, we can further talk of other things."

"'The order needs us a little longer'…you've said that at least five times in three years, Obi-Wan! Last time, it was 'once Dooku is dead'…the time before that, 'once the order has re-stabilized'. I have been patient for so long, especially being me; but my patience is wearing thin. And when I think of how many times I have wanted to run to you, but couldn't because someone was watching…or how many times I have needed to guard my words in nearly every conversation for fear of my tongue slipping…I can't do this much longer, Obi-Wan! We have to resolve this…soon."

By the time she was done, she was shaking with frustration and sorrow. The problem with loving Obi-Wan Kenobi was that you couldn't stay mad at him for long, no matter what.

"I will keep my promise, this time. I give you my word as a Jedi and the one who loves you more than life itself."

Kelly looked into his eyes, as she had done so many times before. No lies, no deceit…just pure honesty. Right then and there, she was convinced of his resolve and fell into his welcoming embrace.

"Say it again," she laughingly murmured.

"Kelly, I love you."

What neither of them knew was that Mas Amedda, Palpatine's Vice Chairman, was right around the corner and had heard the entire conversation.

--

"…to be the eyes, ears, and voice of the Republic. Anakin…I'm appointing you and Kelly to be my personal representatives on the Jedi Council. Ah, speaking of the Immortal Jedi Beauty!" the Chancellor, using one of his many nicknames for her, exclaimed upon seeing the young woman, who had just entered. As she gaped at what she had just heard, Anakin voiced his own shock.

"Me? Us? Masters? I am overwhelmed, Sir, but the Council elects its own members. They will never accept this."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Kelly also put in, approaching them, "but I have to agree. They won't be too happy to be told what to do. They never have been."

"Oh, I think they will," Palpatine corrected confidently, thereby encouraging his voluntary students. "They need you…more than you know."

"You really want us as your representatives?!"

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have be my voice. Besides, I have the feeling that there are one or two seats on the Council recently become available for filling."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Anything for either of you…you are like the children I never had."

Thanks for reading! As usual, please review and vote! Also, I put another trailer on youtube (the link is on my profile)…


	25. Unpleasant Surprises

Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

Sarah McLachlan's "Do What You Have To Do" goes with scene 2…

Unpleasant Surprises

Kelly had been a bit confused when she had seen Elaina wordlessly storm out of the Council chambers as she and Anakin had entered; however, the tension was still building even after ten minutes of worthless explanations.

"Allow this appointment lightly the Council does not," Yoda stated. "Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine."

"I understand," Anakin replied. As always, Windu did the finalizations.

"You are on this Council, Anakin, but we do not grant you the rank of Master."

"What?! How can you do this? This is outrageous…it's unfair! How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?" While the boy might have been angry, Kelly was simply fuming. They had practically ignored her. What did they have against her?! But no, she would not let it show, no matter what.

"Take a seat, young Skywalker."

He seemed to unquestioningly take the chair two seats away from Obi-Wan, exactly where Kelly had seen her twin so many times before. That would have to wait. For the moment, she had more pressing matters.

"What of me, Masters?" she queried.

Silence…never a good sign.

"For several reasons, Kelly, we cannot accept you onto this Council at the moment…perhaps in the days to come, we will have the time to consider it. Aside from having only one place temporarily available, we would prefer to have limited, if any, interference from the Chancellor in our midst."

She was furious…absolutely livid! However…she would keep it quiet for now…

"What makes me less deserving than Anakin?"

"It has nothing to do with who does or does not deserve it. Many reasons cover this as well…one being that Elaina suggested it."

"What? Never mind…I'll figure that out myself. May the Force be with you, Masters," Kelly hissed, stalking out. Elaina had kept her from being promoted?! Elaina had promised to not leave her sister behind. Elaina was presently dropping hints to keep Kelly from being promoted. How could she?! All those years of trust and two-way help, and this was how she displayed her thanks!

--

Elaina waited for Obi-Wan to finish talking with Kelly and Anakin before catching his attention. As he passed her up to wait around the corner, the girl caught little bits of her siblings' conversation. First was Anakin.

"…treason…investigation…Sith…"

Next was Kelly.

"I don't care…betrayed…"

"Elaina?" Obi-Wan suddenly queried from behind her. The Knight turned, walked a little ways forward, and looked around to be sure that no one was watching. "You wanted to speak to me?"

She shook herself into concentration and looked at the man. Did he have any idea why she always wanted to talk to him?

"Yes, Master Kenobi…" She saw him wince, as he always did when the woman referred to him as 'Kenobi' or anything formal. "I suppose Kelly didn't take my suggestion too lightly."

He grimaced.

"I was actually quite surprised that she didn't completely blow up at the Council."

It was Elaina's turn to cringe.

"She's probably waiting to vent the greater part of her anger on me. What about Anakin?"

"About the same…those two are, often tragically, very much alike."

"And, the other thing…Obi-Wan, you don't believe what they are saying about me, do you? Over the years…I don't think anyone, even my sister, knows me nearly as well as you do. The evidence is practically irrelevant."

"You're right. I probably do know you the most; but that's just the problem. You erased files, you hardly put any effort in escaping from Dooku (in fact, you seemed almost distraught when we did), you have practically lost control of your emotions, you hardly ever agree with the Council, you have accused three different people, all of great power, of being the Sith lord…the list goes on for miles, Elaina. And, may I mention, many of them are very legitimate. Still, I can't believe you would do something like this."

"Then, you don't believe it?"

"All of the evidence points to the contrary."

"Obi-Wan, how could you? My loyalty to you has never changed or wavered! Yes, we have our differences, but so do all people, even Jedi."

Obi-Wan quickly put a hand over her mouth (for her voice had been getting more vibrant by the second) and dragged her around another corner.

"Elaina, just keep quiet, be mindful of your actions, and perhaps this situation will resolve itself."

"And if it does not?"

"I do not know who to trust anymore, even you."

"You also think I'm the Sith." He simply stood there with a defeated look on his face. "I thought I knew you better than that. You will regret this."

As soon as Obi-Wan left, Elaina slumped down to the floor and tucked her head between her knees. Were all the secrets really worth it? Was keeping the ones she loved out of it enough of a reason for such secrecy and deception?

"What was that about?" a shadowed figure leaning against the wall five feet away hissed.

"Oh, Kelly!" she exclaimed, quickly standing with an uneasy smile. "I didn't see you there."

"You wouldn't with your fawning over my lover now, would you?" She continued in a mocking tone. "'My loyalty to you'...'our differences'…'this situation'…'you will regret this'…" Every word stung like a blade. "Obi-Wan is not yours to take, Elaina! He is mine, not yours!"

"Kelly, what are you saying?"

"You know exactly what I'm saying, Mistress Jinn! If I see you alone with him again, I will be forced to only assume the worst."

"Kelly!" But she was gone, storming away in a fit of anger.

--

A short time after his argument with Elaina, Obi-Wan Kenobi was sitting in a clone transport with Masters Windu and Yoda, bringing the latter to the air field for his trip to Kashyyyk.

"With all due respect, Master, is he not the Chosen One? Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?"

"So the prophecy says," Mace doubtfully confirmed.

"A prophecy," Yoda added, "…misread could have been."

"He will not let me down," the bearded man defended. "He never has."

"I hope right you are."

"It's Elaina that worries me the most. Over the past several months during the investigation, probably seven or eight people have approached us with most disturbing evidence: the infiltration on Corellia, the confidential information leak, Dooku's knowledge of the Chancellor's schedule for specifically the day he was captured, the three mysterious Jedi deaths last year (all Jedi who were looking into the Sith lord's identity)…all with direct connections to Elaina's personal communication link. It is only obvious that she has had some large part of everything that has occurred."

"Indeed disturbing this recent information is. Thought that I knew Elaina did I. But wrong…how could we have been blind to such things?"

"I too was wrong about young Ka…Jinn," Windu put in. He had never become used to calling Elaina 'Jinn', "…we all were. But something still doesn't seem right. We all trusted her…for very good reasons, I might add. She never gave us reason not to, until now."

"But why would she stay under the radar until now?" Obi-Wan put forth. He still wasn't convinced of Elaina's complete guilt. "The pieces just simply do not fit together."

Yoda finished the debate, further concluded by the dark-toned Master.

"Resolve this situation we must. If guilty Elaina is, expose her we should; however, if she is innocent…amends we must find, as well as the true culprit."

"…and find out the truth behind all of the evidence."

--

Elaina remained in a casual but hidden position, leaning against a pillar outside Senator Padme's quarters. Some time before, she had followed a rather perturbed Anakin into the building…unseen, of course. The only reason she was still there was because her brother's visit gave her an idea. She needed someone to talk to who wasn't Anakin, Obi-Wan, Kelly, or anyone who would not instantly judge her. Dexter wouldn't be of any help, so why not Padme?

Still, she wondered why Anakin had gone to the beautiful politician of all people. As far as she knew, he had given up chasing after the woman three years ago. When the young man finally exited the nearby quarters, Elaina walked out into the hall to watch him go prior to strolling in the other direction. Padme was found sitting limply on her couch on the balcony.

"My lady?" the Knight queried from twenty feet away, figuring that it was best to be polite.

"Elaina," the girl stuttered, standing, "…what are you doing here?"

Just as she had expected…

"He told you, didn't he?"

"That you were expelled from the Council…that you're under investigation…that you might be the Sith we…you have been searching for so long? Yes, Elaina! At first, I found it a bit hard to believe, but…"

"Padme, please don't!" the woman suddenly exclaimed, holding her hand up to stop the girl. "Please, stop!"

"I will not stop, Elaina! You have to stop! Stop what you're doing. Stop the war! Do you know how many families you have torn apart, how many dreams?! The Republic is crumbling and all you can do is stand there staring at the city, the planet, the galaxy that you are shredding at the seams."

Indeed, the Jedi was simply standing in front of the senator, looking at the scenery and taking the verbal blows in silence. Padme's distressed cries momentarily went ignored before any reply could be mustered.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, my lady."

--

Curiosity overwhelmed the young Knight. The Chancellor held so much information at his fingertips and was giving him the privilege of learning from that knowledge. Momentarily, Palpatine had been elaborating on the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise.

"Whatever happened to him?"

"He became so powerful…the only thing he was afraid of was…losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, even the whereabouts of his most secret research establishments; then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic…he could save others from death, but not himself."

"Is it possible to learn this power?"

"…not from a Jedi."

A strange silence swept over them until Anakin decided to break the ice.

"Sir, you mentioned something about him doing secret research."

"Ah, yes…actually Plagueis only had one secret lab that he cherished the most. It was the smallest, only consisting of a stasis pod, bare-minimum living quarters, and the lab itself with all of the amenities, a computer, mainly…but even being the smallest, it was his most cherished secret of all. Anakin, do you remember when I told you of the last Enduring Warrior, Sheba Bladerunner?"

"Yes…no one knew what happened to her in the end."

"I recently discovered that a previous Sith master from years before had been the dark-side trainer of Sheba. After killing Silvereyes, Sheba began having doubts as to her allegiances. For fear of having someone so powerful turning against him, the coward put her into cryogenic sleep, where she was later studied by Plagueis and, eventually, his apprentice. After a while, the apprentice finally woke her, only to kill Sheba before she realized what was happening."

"Oh," was all the boy said, absorbing every element of the tale. Just then, he realized the time. "I'm sorry, Chancellor…I have to go."

"Of course! You have business at the Council."

--

Around Anakin, Kelly was not even slightly worried any more about being near Obi-Wan. That would be evident to any outside observer as she walked with the two men towards the clone landing platform with her arm linked through that of her lover.

Actually, the real reason she wasn't momentarily letting the man out of her sight was because of the scene she had witnessed between him and Elaina. Sure, she wanted to be with him, but the main reason for her 'clinginess' was primarily to drop hints and hopefully sneak a confession out of him. If Obi-Wan was being unfaithful, especially with her own sister, she wanted to know. The only problem was that her 'fiancé', as she thought of him as, was much slyer than she would have thought.

"If you won't stay Obi-Wan, than at least let me come with you," she whined, side-glancing at him.

"You're going to need us on this one, Master," her brother confirmed.

While they continued the conversation, Kelly silently deliberated. Could she have been wrong about the situation? How could she? The faces of Obi-Wan and Elaina had only been inches apart…and there was something other than simple thoughts of friendship in her sister's eyes. Elaina was still in love with him and he was falling into her devious trap without even the slightest protest. Suddenly, her friends were concluding their conversation.

"Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you." Kelly quickly approached the man, for he had broken away from her grasp a moment before, and grabbed his hand in silent desperation. She didn't know whether to corner and question, cry, or break out in anger for the torture he was putting her through. "Don't worry so much, Kelly. I'll be soon enough…and then, you and I can have that conversation."

"I'm not so sure," she skeptically hissed, receiving a rather confused look.

"Don't worry so much, Kelly, or you just might end up like your sister." At that, everyone seemed to flinch; however, no time was given for it to simmer as Obi-Wan hopped into his ship and flew off. The girl proceeded to turn around and retreat back towards Anakin, though she froze upon reaching him and jabbed the boy with an elbow.

"Ouch!" he moaned. "What was that for?"

"It seems we're not the only ones here to see Obi-Wan off."

"What…oh, her."

The 'her' both Knights were referring was Elaina some ways away, simply standing there, talking to one of the clones.

"Now that Obi-Wan isn't here…what exactly is going on with Elaina, anyway? You said something about investigations for her being a Sith, but beyond that, your details were a bit sketchy."

"Apparently, a great deal of evidence has built up that points to her being the Sith lord…or lady, in this case." He seemed a bit shocked when his sibling didn't flare up at the assumption.

"What? Unless you've been blind during the past three years, Annie, Elaina and I haven't exactly been best buds since…well, since what happened."

"Does Obi-Wan know that…that I know?"

"He's probably guessed it by now. That brings to mind…how is Padme doing? I haven't had the chance to visit her lately." All of sudden, Anakin seemed a bit nervous. "You can tell me. It's not as if she's pregnant, although that would be exciting news. What is it? You're joking!"

A broad grin broke out on his face.

"No…I'm not joking."

"Oh, Annie! Congratulations!" she squealed quietly, even though no one was around, jumping up to link her arms around her brother's neck. "I'll be an aunt!"

"So will Elaina, don't forget." That soured her mood as she released her hold and scowled at the boy. "What's wrong? You close up tighter than anything whenever she's mentioned anymore."

"The Sith lord who's stealing Obi-Wan from me, you mean?"

"Oh, I see."

"There is an upside to her being investigated, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah…it means they'll stop suspecting the Chancellor and you can stop playing the spy…he told me."

--

Elaina nervously withdrew from the building upon seeing her siblings watching her. Confusion from one, anger from the other. Circumstances were simply becoming more confusing by the minute, even though she knew exactly what was happening…and couldn't really do anything about it.

Answers and solutions were needed and she would find them in familiar territory: the library.

Thanks for reading! Please review and vote!

Oh, and I put yet another trailer on youtube…finally one for this story. You can find the link on my profile.


	26. Remorse With Memories

Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

Christina Aguilera's "Hurt" goes with the 4th scene…

Remorse with Memories

At least the Chancellor didn't cause the poor girl any distress. The only thing he ever did was help her. Every time she went to see him (which was rather frequently), the man had new advice and counsel for Kelly. Ever since she began to suspect her sister and fiancé of having a romantic relationship behind her back, off-world, a year before, the wise politician came to her aid with his overwhelming support. When the Council had started sending her on Outer Rim suicide missions, he had given her surprisingly applicable technical and strategic pointers.

In return, she had complied with several requests…passing notes to senators and Jedi of suspicious goings-on in their midst, for one thing. Since her denial of acceptance on the Council, the Knight spent all extra time with Palpatine, confiding in him. The only thing she had ever kept from him was the most important of all: her romantic relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi…possibly soon to be past relationship.

At that moment, mid-afternoon, Kelly was complacently staring out the window while her friend deliberated with a few colleagues. As she twiddled with her necklace, she suddenly became conscious of its presence. Over twenty years since she had received it and, shockingly enough, the woman had never removed her mother's gift, the only reminder she had left.

_A seven-year-old girl burst into the slaves' quarters that her family lived in. Her only being seven and it being noon, her shift at Watto's had been taken over by her sister; therefore, she was free for the rest of the day (neither she nor her sister would work full time until they were eight). Her shoulder-length hair danced about her shoulders as Kelly bounded into the kitchen her mother was currently cleaning. _

_There were two reasons for her buoyancy: one being simply that she was too exhausted from the early start that she couldn't act like it…and two…_

"_Mama, guess what!!"_

"_What is it, dear?" Shmi queried, turning to her young daughter with the sad smile she almost always wore. Surprisingly, she had already fully reclaimed her womanly figure after giving birth to her son a week before. With sparkling eyes, Kelly plopped two coins onto the rough wood table. "Where did you get this?"_

"_Watto gave them to me 'cause I helped him extra good today!" the child cried triumphantly with a cheeky grin. "I want you to have them so you can buy yourself free."_

_Her mother's smile disappeared for a moment._

"_Kelly, you know that this is not nearly enough…besides, what put such thoughts on your mind?"_

_Kelly's joy dissipated also, but she simply slid the coins closer to Shmi with a thwarted,_

"_Oh…" Then, she continued. "But, I still want you to have them." The girl curled her lip into a pout for extra effect._

"_Very well, darling. You make me so proud when you do this sort of thing. Here…a small compensation for a daughter who deserves far more." With that, she slipped the long chain with the strangely-shaped pendant from her neck and put it around that of a rather elated Kelly._

"_Oh, thank you so much, Mama. I'll never ever take it off!"_

"_You'd better not…it came from someone very special."_

That 'someone' had probably been Qui-Gon, knowing her mother.

By that time, the senators had left and Anakin was standing with the Chancellor with news.

"Chancellor, we have just received a report from Master Kenobi. He has engaged General Grievous."

"We can only hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge."

With a pointed look from Palpatine, Kelly proceeded to evacuate herself from the room as Anakin's face clouded over with concern and jealousy.

"I should be there with him."

--

"_Anakin, deliver this report to the Chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions."_

_Once Anakin had left, the Council members continued discussing matters concerning Palpatine. A few moments later, Yoda concluded that part of the discussion._

"_To a dark place this line of thought will carry us. Great care we must take."_

_Suddenly, the control panel in front of Master Windu lit up. When he pressed the button, the hologram showed the face of Elaina Jinn, looking exhausted and troubled; however, according to the controls, it was simply a recording from several minutes before then. Apparently, she hadn't wanted to have two-way communication. Like himself, all of the Jedi standing around the projector appeared rather confused…and ashamed. No one had enjoyed accusing one of their most trusted coworkers for the highest treason imaginable in the order. Refocusing on the hologram…_

"_Good afternoon, Masters," Elaina hesitantly began. "You're probably wondering why a Sith lord would be contacting you, but I'm hoping that this will clear my case, for the most part." That accent…who's did it sound like? A number of data files appeared on all of the screens of the platform, all from the library archives, from recent communiqués between senators and an unknown counterpart to ancient prophecies referring to the Enduring Warriors' link with the Chosen One. _

"_The truth is that I have known the identity of the Sith lord since…well, a short time. The reasons I cannot tell you his true identity for the moment is the same as why I have been so distant from both you and my siblings, regardless of the investigation. I can't blame any of you for it as I would do the same if I were in your position." Every single line of information precisely counteracted the evidence the Council had been given. All of the senators, Jedi, and others who had come forward were fed by the same blotted out acquaintance. Elaina continued as the data did._

"_I truly wish things could have turned out differently…I'm sure all of us are; however, my final advice, following that of the request not to promote my sister, still stands: continue along your present line of suspicion and you __will__ discover the true culprit behind this plot, which is more elaborate than even I can understand. The reason I know this is because the dark lord tried to turn me to his side a short time before you asked me to step down from the Council in order for Anakin to take my place as the spy."_

_A long pause ensued and the information stopped. Elaina's voice shook as she quietly carried on with the narrative._

"_There is __so__ much more I want to tell __all__ of you…and no words can express the shame I feel for not coming forward with this so much sooner…but, for me…nothing matters more than my family. I lost Qui-Gon. The least I can do is protect Kelly and Anakin._

"_Speaking of my family…I would later on like to visit my mother. Yes, she is still alive and I'm not an orphan…but you already knew that, didn't you? She is a slave in need of freeing. I intend to do just that when this is over. If it brings an end to my time as a Jedi Knight…well, enough has happened for me to easily come to terms with that." The emotion left as quickly as it had come. "Do not try contacting me. I have unfinished business nearby and will not have my communicator. May the Force be with you, Masters."_

_All were shocked._

--

"Master Windu, we must talk," Anakin stated, intercepting the dark Master in at the landing platform.

"Skywalker," the man responded, hardly stopping his advance, "we just received word that Obi-Wan has destroyed General Grievous. We're on our way to make sure the Chancellor returns emergency powers back to the Senate."

"He won't give up his power. I've just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith lord."

"A Sith lord?!" Windu froze in his tracks.

"Yes, the one we've been looking for."

"How do you know this?"

"He knows the ways of the Force. He has been trained to use the dark side."

"Are you sure?" The Jedi Master was getting that corner-the-kid serious parent tone. Obviously, it made Anakin nervous.

"Absolutely."

Pause.

"Then our worst fears have been realized. We must move quickly if the Jedi order is to survive."

He moved closer to the ship, but the boy stopped him, receiving a rather troubled look for his effort.

"Master, doesn't this mean that Elaina isn't guilty?"

"…yes, it does." Again, he tried to go.

"Master, the Chancellor is very powerful. You will need my help if you are going to arrest him."

"For your own good, stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgment."

"I must go, Master."

"No! If what you told me is true, you will have gained my trust, but for now remain here."

"Yes, Master."

"Wait for us in the Council Chamber until we return."

"Yes, Master."

And he was gone…perfect! (sarcasm included)

--

The Knight who had been elusive to nearly everyone all day was presently sitting on a couch opposite the one occupied by Padme in the senator's quarters. From recording the message to the Council, she had gone directly there and, ever since, the other girl had been staring, outwardly intently, at the data pad given to her by the former Council member; however, Elaina could sense her distractedness.

To pass the time, as she had often done when reading through the countless library archives, she began massaging her right hand, a habit the Knight had picked up since it had been stepped on by a rather heavy droid during her string of missions and nearly broken it. The manipulating hand always came back to the same thing: her ring.

A random question also came to her mind: had Kelly kept her own trinket?

Personally, she had always imagined that her mother had given the little loop of metal to her, but that was not so. If Shmi was required to choose a favorite, Kelly would be it. The same went for Anakin and nearly everyone else they had known on Tatooine. Next came the guilt. She had never fully appreciated (even that wording being light) the person who really gifted her with the ring.

_The entourage had just jumped into hyperspace and Qui-Gon managed to convince the crew to retire for the night. It had been quite the busy day: a pod race, fighting the strange warrior on the sand, and freeing a slave all in a day's work. As the Knight took a seat in the pilot's chair next to her, Elaina looked at her ring. Between that and the lightsaber she possessed, unlike her twin, she had retained more memories than a name and description of the man._

"_I see you still have the memento I gave to you," Qui-Gon suddenly stated, pointing at the piece of jewelry._

"_Yes, well at least you left something other than a grudge."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You left us! Did you expect anything else? At least Kelly had the nerve to __try__ forgetting you. I only wish I could have done the same."_

_He tried brushing off the insult._

"_I haven't had the chance to tell you how proud I am of what you have become. You could have gone without inheriting my persistent stubbornness, but you have great potential."_

_The girl gave a heartless laugh._

"_There are a lot of things I could have gone without from you. You are lucky I don't cast this ring off right now for all the pain it brings me. Qui-Gon, no pleasure has come from you in the least. Every happy moment I ever had was because of those who really __did__ care. You were definitely not one of them. Every time I had a wisp of thought wondering what my father was really like, I dashed it away for fear it would make me weak like you." _

_An awkward silence ensued for the next hour._

So much time had been spent staring at the mirror in her refresher room, looking into her own eyes, mirror images of her father's…hoping to find some answer that would reflect his opinion. Nothing ever came, only the gnawing regret left by all the un-forgiven arguments.

What had happened? What could have happened? She hadn't realized the mental agony she felt without her father until he was really gone…and then it was too late. All the abuse and hurt she had inflicted…he had taken it all with bold patience beyond any she had seen.

Oh, she would do anything to have just one more conversation with the remarkable Knight…almost anything. One of Palpatine's temptations during his 'kidnapping' had included an offer to bring her father back.

Why hadn't she inherited more from him? Her rashness over recent years had left more scars than anyone could count. If she had simply ignored the threats from the Chancellor to hurt those she loved, the disaster could have been easily thwarted days ago! Many of the dead would still be alive. Who knew how many more would die because she hadn't had the courage to stand up against her fears.

Yoda had always taught her to let go of her worldly attachments. She had failed. Her father would have expected Elaina to become patient, caring, respected, and trusted. She had also failed that, as well as everything else he might have wanted. She had failed everyone and everything in her weakness. What would her father think now? Now that she had fallen far short of every goal she had placed for herself, how could she go on to forgive herself…or know that Qui-Gon would have forgiven her also?

Padme's sudden movements jerked the Knight out of her thoughts. The pregnant senator set the data pad down, stood, and walked to the window, gazing out of it towards the Jedi temple with utmost concern on her face. All past sins seemed to be forgiven as she grasped Elaina's hand when the Jedi approached, though she still focused on the temple.

--

Kelly charged through the library. How could her sister do such a thing?! First, the little twit took Obi-Wan from her, now she was putting all of her energy into shifting the suspicion back to her most trusted friend, the man she had sworn to protect the year before. Why?! Why would she do that?! And only for her own purposes…

By that time, the extremely angry Knight had reached her fighter in the temple bay and was powering it up for take-off. She had to warn the Chancellor of the treachery. Just then, she realized how angry she was…and it felt good. She was even able to use the Force to coax the engine for more power, causing the building lights to nearly merge into a single line and her ship to reach her goal with a minute. Ahead of her, sprinting down the hall, was Anakin.

Through each step, he was one ahead of her: the hall, the elevator, the next hall, and finally…she nearly ran into the boy for how fast she raced into Palpatine's office, where Palpatine and Windu were arguing, the former on the ground with the latter standing threateningly over him.

"Kelly!" her past trainer called. "Thank heavens you're here!"

He stopped when the girl simply stared at him. She wasn't sure quite what to do.

--

After some time, the new friends had finally retaken their seats on the couch, once again in silence; therefore, Elaina continued reminiscing, trying to ignore the feeling that something was wrong since…well, everything was wrong!

_Hopefully, this would be the last mission she would be required to go on…then she could return to her research on Coruscant. The Council had sent her on this pointless mission to Mandalore to possibly find the on-the-run self-proclaimed bounty hunter, Boba Fett, the son of the Jango. Gaining his trust would hopefully turn out to have been the hardest part; however, she was in need of help to keep him there and __hopefully__ capture him. Why they had to go through all of this trouble was beyond her! And, hopefully, the back-up the Council was sending her wouldn't be one of the new idiots they had acquired. _

_Because of the need to blend in, Elaina had been required to take on the attitudes, attire, and accent (which was very much like Obi-Wan's) of the Mandalorians. As another suited figure stepped out of the transport along the road, she became aware that he was looking around as if not knowing where to go. With a hand on the gun in her holster, the girl approached the newcomer warily and addressed him._

"_Do you need directions?"_

"_No," a familiar voice replied from under the helmet, "…well, yes actually. I'm looking for someone." With that, she grabbed her apparent partner's hand and dragged the hesitant man to a more hidden location around a corner. "I'm sorry; you must have me mistaken for someone else." She ripped the helmet off to reveal a rather perplexed Obi-Wan Kenobi._

"_I thought it was you. Come on!"_

"_Alright, let me rephrase that. You are not the person I'm looking for. You have an accent, she does not."_

"_Really?" the woman teased, removing her black helmet and smoothing her multi-colored hair back a bit._

"_Elaina!"_

"_You look rather handsome in armor, Master Kenobi. Now, guess what? I told Fett that I was meeting my fiancé here, and he happens to be standing in perfect view of us."_

"_So…act like it?"_

"_Pretty much."_

Throughout the rest of that trip, in the end of which Boba had escaped, she had won a dozen kisses on the cheek, five hand-holdings, as well as other small signs of a mask of affection. By the end of that, Obi-Wan seemed to almost enjoy it; however, when she cornered him about it…again…he had brushed her off, they had become even more distant, and awkward moments were a given whenever they saw each other.

"Elaina, are you alright?" Padme asked quietly, sitting next to the girl.

She hadn't realized that the tears had returned.

"I'm sorry, Padme…it's just…I'm not over Obi-Wan and the memories are coming back to haunt me, along with every other possible worry." Her senses with the Force suddenly picked up something. "Padme…you're going to have twins."

Luckily, that lightened the mood a bit, but not for long…

Thanks for reading! Please review and vote! I love hearing your opinions!

I put yet another trailer on youtube. The link is on my profile.


	27. Fate

*sniff* No reviews...yet...:)

The italicized bit in this chapter isn't a flashback really…it's just the hologram recording…

The "Diva Dance" from The Fifth Element goes with scenes 1-3 (more for effect than lyrics) and Avril Lavigne's "Slipped Away" with the 9th and 10th…

Fate

"Henceforth," Palpatine…or Sidious, as he was really, announced, "you shall be known as Darth…Vader."

Anakin was practically drunk with the dark emotions as he replied.

"Thank you, my Master."

"Rise. Come now, Darth Raina! Are you not going to congratulate our new associate?"

"What about the rule of two, Master?" Kelly…or Raina queried, temporarily shocking Anakin…Vader out of his stupor as he stood. She was a Sith and no one had noticed?

"Those archaic laws are pointless. This is a new generation of Sith lords! The more of us there are, the more powerful we will be and the closer we will be to saving the ones you and your brother love, both from death itself. The Jedi's treachery, however, will make things more difficult, though not impossible. Because the Council does not trust either of you, my young apprentices, I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot. When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the senators."

"I agree," Vader put in willingly. "The Jedi's next move will be against the Senate."

"Every single Jedi, including your friends, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Elaina Jinn, are now enemies of the Republic."

"I understand, Master."

Again, Kelly broke through the sinister mood, though she herself looked rather shady, being all decked out in black leather pants, sleeveless shirt, and knee-high boots.

"Master, what do you mean that Obi-Wan is an enemy? We must save him, not kill him."

Surprisingly enough, Sidious maintained his patience.

"For a few reasons, he is still your enemy, Raina. One, that he is in on the plot to destroy everything. The second you have already guessed. It is one of the most treacherous imaginable for one so desperately in love as you."

"I will have my revenge; but, it will be on Elaina Jinn upon whom I will inflict my vengeance. We must turn Obi-Wan."

"Very well…Vader will take care of Kenobi when the time comes, and you can satisfy your desire for justice. All will be done in due time, but now, we must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless; if they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First, I want you to go to the Jedi temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader and Lady Raina. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong to save Padme from near death and Obi-Wan from the distant."

"What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?" Vader queried.

"Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the temple, go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders. Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have…peace."

With that, the boy headed towards the exit, but stopped when he was not followed. When he turned back, Raina was standing at the broken window's ledge, looking down. Oddly, she was most likely still thinking of Windu's death…well he had been the one who trained her for about five years.

"Raina, aren't you coming?"

Her eyes sent chills down his spine, even in his state.

"Let's go," she growled, raising the hood of her cloak and charging down the hall.

Once nearing their target, Raina was some ways ahead of Vader and the troops in their ascent of the temple stairs; therefore, she was the first one into battle…with a Jedi Master. It amused the young man to see one so high falling to someone he had looked lowly upon for so long.

"My Lord Vader," the girl addressed him as he was passed by the clone troops, "continue with what you're doing. I'll go deeper into the temple and root out the remaining Masters. Don't worry! I will leave some of the tougher ones for you."

And with that, she trotted down the hall, but not before helping Vader finish off the Jedi Master he was fighting.

--

"Commander 2239," Sidious said to the clone hologram. It was probably the third or fourth command he had made out of what would be many. This one happened to be in the general area of the senators' apartment building. Where else would a humiliated Enduring Warrior be?

"Yes, sir."

"The time has come. Execute Order 66."

"It will be done, my Lord."

"Finally, she is finished."

--

Suddenly, Elaina collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Something was happening! Death and suffering was everywhere. She could sense that far more acutely than she had thirteen years before due to intensive training. The pain, the loss was so…intense…Aayla…something was wrong with Aayla!

"Elaina, what's wrong?" Padme asked urgently, kneeling down beside the girl.

"I have to go."

"I'll come with you…"

"No! No, Senator, you must stay here…if not your safety, then that of your children. I do not want to see the end of you. Too much has happened already and I fear that it's far from over. You will be safe here. I will return when I know more."

As she spoke the last sentence, the disgraced Knight was already sprinting out of the residence and entering the elevator. She had stayed with Padme all evening and into the night, so it was rather dark out, at least as dark as it could get with the city lights…probably even close to midnight. The Jedi temple was smoking…not a good sign.

Once she was descending the building stairs outside, she knew something was extremely wrong; however, before she could do much, about a dozen clones came into the light, guns trained on her. The buzzing sound of a ship luckily distracted her foes long enough for Elaina to attack with her lightsaber, not risking letting them live for fear they would in turn attack Padme. Having avoided any damage, she then proceeded to alight the nearby speeder, which turned out to be driven by Senator Bail Organa.

"Go!" she ordered. "Senator Amidala is safer where she is than she would be anywhere else. Go." A few moments passed as Organa went casually along with the flow of traffic.

"I saw a Jedi…a boy…get shot down by the clones at the temple. I remember meeting him before. His name is Zett Jukassa." Elaina took a rather unsteady breath to keep the tears from coming. Zett had been the boy she 'death-glared' a few days early in the library, before all of the suspicion showed itself. "I wouldn't be surprised if this was happening everywhere."

"Where are we going?"

"My cruiser…we can move it into orbit. It will prove to be a decent safe-haven for any living Jedi."

"We should take a short trip to Kashyyyk. If any Jedi survived, it would be Master Yoda."

"I agree. Then, we can return and figure out this whole mess."

"Indeed."

--

Yoda stood in front of the Wookie escape pod, ready to depart, with his two local friends nearby.

"Goodbye, Tarful," he said, "goodbye, Chewbacca. Miss you I will. Hopefully, return to visit will I, along with Elaina. Enjoyed coming here did she…especially to see her 'Chewy'."

Ending on that sad but somewhat encouraging note, the Jedi Master entered the pod and waited for the doors to close.

--

Within an hour, the voluntary rescue group had picked up Yoda and arrived back in a high orbit around Coruscant: hiding in plain sight. Elaina with Senator Organa, who, she was happy to hear, had never suspected her of any treason, was discussing the circumstances with her former Master when a communiqué came through, finally.

"Emergency Code 913…I have no contact on any frequency."

"Obi-Wan!" the girl cried in relief, jumping to activate the hologram for Organa before the pilot could do so.

"Master Kenobi," the senator stated, clearly also a bit reassured. When static continued interrupting, she focused the signal a bit more.

"I've locked on," the Jedi on the other end informed them. "Repeat."

"Master Kenobi!"

"Senator Organa!" Clearly, Obi-Wan was just a bit surprised. "My clone troops turned on me. I need help."

"We have just rescued Master Yoda. It appears this ambush has happened everywhere. We're sending you our coordinates."

--

Padme rushed into Anakin's arms without a second thought. The next second, she instantly started questioning her husband and best friend.

"Are you all right? I heard there was an attack on the Jedi temple. You can see the smoke from here!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he chided. "I came to see if you and the baby are safe."

"What's happening?" she persisted. Both Anakin and Kelly, who was still standing silently beside the ship, seemed troubled at this.

"The Jedi have tried to overthrow the Republic."

"I can't believe that!"

"I saw Master Windu attempt to assassinate the Chancellor myself."

"Anakin…what are you going to do?"

"I will not betray the Republic. I know…Kelly shares my feelings about that. My loyalties lie with the Chancellor and with the Senate…and with you."

"What about Obi-Wan? What about Elaina?!" she thought out loud with horror. She couldn't lose her friend just after gaining her!

"I don't know," Anakin replied coolly and, seemingly, off-handedly. "Many Jedi have been killed. We can only hope they've remained loyal to the Chancellor."

"Anakin, I'm afraid." And she truly was. She was trembling all over.

"Have faith, my love. Everything will soon be set right. The Chancellor has given me and Kelly a very important mission. The Separatists have gathered in the Mustafar system. We're going there to end this war. Wait for me until I return…things will be different, I promise." The kiss he gave was unfortunately only half reassuring. "Please, wait for me."

"Kelly!" she called to the distant woman about to reenter to craft. "Take care of him…and be careful."

"I'm always careful!" Kelly protested with a partial smile which quickly disappeared before she did into the fighter, leaving the senator with only a droid for comfort.

"Oh, my lady, is there anything I might do?"

"No thank you, 3PO."

"I…I feel so…helpless." Elaina would have laughed at that…before all this happened.

--

As soon as he exited his ship hours after having received the haven coordinates, Obi-Wan was tackled by none other than Elaina Jinn…if her hair was a bit different-looking. He himself found it a bit awkward, but she seemed unusually…desperate, to say the least, as she clung to him shaking as if she had spent an hour on an ice planet. Led by Yoda and Organa, the group entered a hall and began slowly walking. As quickly as she had hugged him, Elaina pulled away and rushed ahead of them. Giving up on that puzzle, the Knight began his questioning.

"How many other Jedi have managed to survive?"

"Heard from no one have we," Yoda responded, further elaborated by Organa.

"I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi temple. That's partially why I went looking for Yoda."

"What about Elaina? She seems to be under a great deal of stress…which brings to mind, whatever happened with the investigation?"

"I personally never believed her guilt, even though I was contacted about 'evidence' pointing to it; however, earlier today, she sent a message with all the counter-evidence necessary. Apparently, she also sent it to the Council." Yoda added a note before the senator could continue.

"Consulting with the Council was I when they received it. Ashamed we all felt."

"From seeing the temple, my first thought was to get Senator Amidala away from the entire thing. Instead, I proved to be just the distraction Elaina needed to not be gunned down by the ambush set for her. The senator is safe where she is." Onto other issues…

"Have we had any contact from the temple?"

--

"Welcome, Lord Vader and Lady Raina. We've been expecting you."

"Good," the girl hissed threateningly as Vader sealed the doors shut, "then this should be easy…maybe even a little too easy, wouldn't you say, Lord Vader?"

Their pitiful screams echoed through the halls. The war was at an end. Revenge would soon be hers to take.

--

By noon at the main entrance of the Jedi temple, the two Council members and their former equal finished slicing through the dozen or so guards. Elaina's face had returned to its long-forgotten mask of impassivity. It was either that or uncontrollable sobs for all the deaths she had felt since leaving Padme all those hours ago. With no more opposition, the group jogged into the temple, determined to reach the computer center in order to reset the coded message beacon on the other side of the building. Before long, however, they came across a horrifying sight: bodies of Jedi of every age scattered everywhere.

"Not even the younglings survived," Obi-Wan said, voicing the mutual despair. How could the order ever recover from this?

"Killed not by clones, this padawan…by lightsaber, he was," Yoda pointed out, motioning to a teenage boy, a lightsaber still in his lifeless hands. Elaina bent down to close the open eyes, looking with horror at the gash. Only one person other Master Windu used that particular style.

"Who?! Who could have done this?"

"I dare not guess, for fear I might be right," the woman whispered, ignoring her more-than-crush's curious glance. "You two go ahead. I will start a body count and meet you back at the main control room."

"Join you I will," her former master offered. "This task is not one to do alone, unlike the calibrations."

"Thank you, Master."

When Obi-Wan had departed, they continued talking, though a bit uncomfortably.

"Saw the burnt remains some ways from the entrance did you not? Few bodies will there be left aside from these, I believe."

"Yes, Master, I saw them smoking around the corner, unfortunately. It is a sight I wish to never even think of again."

They began cautiously strolling through the halls, skirting and mentally noting the number of remaining casualties…there were so many even with many of them being burned by the clones.

"Of what did you wish to discuss, Elaina?"

"I was not the only one who recognized that stroke. I saw it in your eyes."

"Assume we should not, but, as you do, fear the identity of the killers do I."

"Killers?" Her eyes then fell upon a different type of cut, though it had just as much signature as the other one.

--

As the sun began to sink a bit lower on the horizon and Obi-Wan was finishing his work with the computer, Elaina sat against the wall just outside that particular room. Yoda was also somewhere around, using the time as he saw fit. When the woman finally cleared her mind of the mess of thoughts, she felt something different…like someone's consciousness brushing against her own, but not…familiar, but alien. Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared, leaving her rather perplexed until Obi-Wan broke her line of thought. Yoda was already standing in the doorway when she stood and approached it.

"I've recalibrated the code warning all surviving Jedi to stay away."

While they talked, Elaina separated herself from them a bit, looking intently at the nearby the hologram recorder. Should she or should she not? Obi-Wan was apparently thinking about the same thing as he headed her direction a moment later. Their superior warned them, however.

"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find."

"I must know the truth, Master," the older Knight replied, flipping a few switches. What they saw cut their hearts like a knife.

_Anakin used a choke hold on one defender while fighting a second one. Another lightsaber appeared on the screen to slice through the back of the man Anakin was dueling, but disappeared before the color could be identified._

Elaina quickly skipped ahead.

"_You have done well, my new apprentice," the cloaked figure Anakin was kneeling before said. "Now, go and bring peace to the Empire. Ah, Darth Raina! You have returned. Did you do your duty?"_

_The new player of the scene removed its hood._

"_All of the Jedi are dead. I made sure of it," Kelly answered with an evil smile. "No one was a match for me."_

"_As it should be…report to me when you have finished your task, my young learners. Then, the war shall be no more."_

"I can't watch anymore!" Obi-Wan cried, turning the recording off. Both he and Elaina had tears in their eyes.

"Destroy the Sith we must," Yoda stated.

"Send me to kill the emperor. I will not kill Anakin."

"And I could never hurt Kelly, no matter what she may think of me," the woman put in. Yoda simply shook his head prior to countering their pleas.

"To fight Lord Sidious, strong enough neither of you are, even together. With years more of training and at your full potential, Elaina, it is possible you could; but time we do not have."

"He is like my brother," Obi-Wan furthered. "I cannot do it."

"Twisted by the dark side, both Skywalkers have become. The boy you trained and the girl you befriended, gone they are…consumed by Darth Vader and Raina."

"I do not know where the emperor has sent them. I don't know where to look!"

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find them you will."

"Master, please!" Elaina suddenly begged, coming out of the horrified trance the Jedi Master had allowed her to slip into. "Anakin may be like a brother to Obi-Wan, but they are both my siblings. If you are suggesting that I kill one of my own blood, I…I don't have the heart!"

The leader sighed.

"Question what must be done, do you…even though you know as well as I?" Silence. "The only one able to even possibly defeat Raina you are, Elaina."

"Yes…Master."

With that, he limped away to follow through with his own plan, leaving the Enduring Warrior, the one cursed with the duty of carrying out a remake of the Bladerunner versus Silvereyes battle, with the man she still loved. The question was: would the fighter sided with the Sith or the Jedi win? And would either or both die?

Thanks for reading! Please review, vote, and comment on my trailers! :)


	28. Hope is Lost

Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 (two absolutely wonderful people!) for your reviews!

Apologies for not personally replying to your reviews like I usually do, but…well, let's just say that I haven't been this busy in a while…

Whitney Houston's "Run to You" goes with the 3rd scene (including its flashbacks) and Evanescence's "Anywhere" with the 4th…

Hope is Lost

A short time later, Obi-Wan and Elaina were sitting together on the steps they had been standing on while debating whether to go after their friends. At the moment, not much was happening. Minutes before, they concluded that Padme's apartment would be the best place to start looking for clues; however, neither Jedi had moved even an inch, nor had they spoken. Whenever the two might-have-been-lovers were paired up, something unnerving in a situation was bound to happen. Finally, Elaina stood.

"There's no use in delaying the inevitable, Obi-Wan. Let's go."

--

Another fifteen minutes and inevitable became reality. As Obi-Wan spoke with Padme, the other girl stood on the landing platform, staring out at the still-smoking temple and listening to the conversation. It was clear that none of them wanted to be in this position. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer and quickly ran to the senator, who by that time had taken a seat. Her companion was turned with his back towards them. Her friend meanwhile looked at her in desperation.

"Elaina, tell me this is all a terrible joke! Anakin couldn't have done any of those things…killing younglings and turning to the dark side…he doesn't have the heart. He'd never do something like that!"

The older woman didn't even look at Obi-Wan for help since he was still taking in the truths of Padme's pregnancy…Anakin being the father…which made doing what needed to be done just more complicated. It was shocking, too, for Elaina.

"Padme…if we don't…do something, at least try talking him down…nothing will ever be the same. The Sith will rule, the Jedi will be exterminated, and hope will die with those who saw it happen. Padme, we must act before we lose our chance."

"And if he doesn't listen?"

She shivered.

"We will do what we must."

"They're your own siblings, Elaina. How could you even think…?"

"Don't make this harder than it already is. Padme, you are the only one they trust enough to tell that sort of thing."

The unspoken question went unanswered.

"No…I can't tell you."

Once back in the speeder, the female Knight confided in her partner.

"There is only one way to find Anakin…and that is to follow Padme. If anything, she'll go to him…" Obi-Wan interrupted, finishing the thought.

"…and, since he's probably not on the planet, she will be using her Nubian craft to travel. I know where it is."

--

More silence followed, only being broken to comment on the setting sun as Obi-Wan set the automatic pilot of the speeder to send it away from the landing platform before joining Elaina in hiding behind the lowered ramp of the ship. Clearly, Padme's arrival had been expected. That could be easily concluded as Captain Typho argued with the senator over leaving alone. Like every situation, Padme won the argument.

"…besides, 3PO will look after me."

"Oh dear," the named droid whined while hobbling onto the craft after his mistress. Just before the ramp retracted, both Jedi crept aboard, making sure that no one noticed their movement, especially Padme. Right then and there, Elaina would have raced to the cockpit and confessed all, but changed her mind when Obi-Wan opened the door of a small cargo closet and gave her a pointed stare as the ship's engine started. There was no getting out of it now.

With that, she entered the confining space, only needing to tilt her head due to her lack of a formidable height, and sat down with her legs crossed. Her partner on the other hand was forced to hunch over shoulders and all in order to enter prior to crouching down and closing the door. Since it would be a somewhat long trip, the girl proceeded to bring her knees up to her chest and, somewhat reluctantly, rested her head against Obi-Wan's shoulder.

However the situation worked out in the end, he would never be hers. If Kelly came back from the dark side, the younger twin would reclaim her lover and they would probably go off together in hiding, whether the Empire was destroyed or not. And, if Kelly didn't turn…Elaina and Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to even look at each other because of the guilt. One way or the other, he would never be hers…ever.

She had never stopped trying, however. Even though the woman had scolded herself over it a million times, Elaina's feelings for him would never be crushed or diminished in any way. Because of Obi-Wan, she had learned, felt, and thought things she would have never imagined without him. Conflict had erupted where it would have remained stagnate without him. As she drifted off to sleep, unwelcome dreams found their way into her mind.

"_So, I have you all to myself, do I?" The Jedi laughed a reply. Dex always could make her smile. "What's the special occasion…some holiday or other extraordinary event that causes you to visit my humble abode for a purpose other than questions?"_

"_Oh, just an anniversary on which I like to avoid Jedi…the death of Qui-Gon Jinn…you remember him don't you…at least me talking about him?"_

"_Yes, one other Jedi I advise once in a while mentioned that name…Obi-Wan Kenobi's teacher, I believe, right?"_

"_Obi-Wan comes here?"_

"_Uh-huh…is there something I should know about?"_

"_No," Elaina replied laughingly, "what makes you say that?"_

"_You two are just so alike. You'd think that the two of you have spent years around each other, practicing each other's reactions."_

"_I never heard it put that way…or any way, for that matter…"_

"_You like him, don't ya?" the alien suggested with a wink. "But those confounded laws of yours…ah, don't even get me started. You're perfect for each other. If you haven't realized it, you will."_

_--_

_However, even if she __was__ definitely and thoroughly in love with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he reciprocated the feelings, the Council, the order would never allow it…neither would her conscious. She had enough to worry about without being actually romantically involved with anyone: her meddlesome sister, the trouble with using the Force, reaching her full potential as a Jedi Knight, debating over whether or not to go along with the Council's urging for her promotion. That and a certain nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something was wrong. Of course something was wrong. Everything was wrong! The Sith were regaining power in the galaxy, the Republic was falling apart at the seams, and both she and Kelly were in love (and having concerns over) the same man…a respected Jedi none the less._

_--_

_Finally, the contest ended and Dooku stepped back slightly, letting out an apparently held breath._

"_Your mind is well-guarded, even with the shield blocking your abilities…a gift of your father's as well; however, I was able to glean a few more prominent feelings. Yes, she does have many of those, whatever she may show," he quickly added to Obi-Wan, a sly grin passing across his face, "…particularly feelings towards you…concern, self-sacrifice, and something far deeper than any simple, rule-following Jedi could imagine."_

_--_

_She had reached the point of no return. She had to say it. "I care for you more than anything…just as much as my sister, if not more. Obi-Wan, I love you. I have known it since that morning on Tatooine when we watched the sunrise from near the ship all those years ago…remember?"_

"_Of course, I remember…when you were still snipping at me about asking questions." This wasn't good. He was trying to deny that she had said those three fate-sealing words and it was ripping her heart out. Only one thing could bring him back down from his cloud of disbelief._

_She went on her tiptoes…and their lips met. Finally, after all that time, she was actually showing her true feelings instead of hiding them behind some false mask of courage or sarcasm. There was one thing wrong: he wasn't reacting at all. Elaina went back down on the flats of her heels, breaking the one-sided show of affection, and looked searchingly into the eyes of the one she loved so much, only to find him without any kindness in return._

_--_

"_And, the other thing…Obi-Wan, you don't believe what they are saying about me, do you? Over the years…I don't think anyone, even my sister, knows me nearly as well as you do. The evidence is practically irrelevant."_

"_You're right. I probably do know you the most; but that's just the problem. You erased files, you hardly put any effort in escaping from Dooku (in fact, you seemed almost distraught when we did), you have practically lost control of your emotions, you hardly ever agree with the Council, you have accused three different people, all of great power, of being the Sith lord…the list goes on for miles, Elaina. And, may I mention, many of them are __very__ legitimate. Still, I can't believe you would do something like this."_

"_Then, you don't believe it?"_

"_All of the evidence points to the contrary."_

"_Obi-Wan, how could you? My loyalty to you has never changed or wavered! Yes, we have our differences, but so do all people, even Jedi."_

Years of worry and rejection had gone by and she always ended up standing…or, in this case, sitting, next to him. Still, he would never cease to be at least a friend. That was confirmed as Elaina was awakened by a hand grasping her own. When she opened her eyes, the girl discovered that several tears had slowly made their way down her cheeks and onto Obi-Wan's shoulder. He was momentarily looking down at her with commiserating sorrow.

"We'll get them back." The ship had landed; that much was clear as the female Jedi nearly fell into her companion's lap from the small jolt.

"We have a job to do, Obi-Wan. Let's not fail them again. The Kelly I know would never want to live this way: in service of a war-mongering emperor. I will not allow her to suffer like this, even if she thinks that she wants it." With that, she used her sleeve to wipe the tears away and cracked the door open in order to watch for when Padme exited the craft. She peeled her hand away from the one she loved, however much she wanted to cling to it.

--

It couldn't…it just couldn't be true! All she needed was confirmation from Anakin and his confident arm around her shoulders and she would know that everything was alright…would be alright. Who were the traitors? Anakin was an absolute impossibility; however, Elaina and Obi-Wan were just unlikely!

"Anakin!" she called, racing to her approaching husband.

"Padme," he replied while embracing her, "I saw your ship…"

"Oh, Anakin!"

"It's all right. You're safe now. What are you doing here?"

As Kelly approached with utmost concern upon her face, Padme spilled all that had happened. They would be able to resolve it.

"I was so worried about you! Obi-Wan…and Elaina…they told me terrible things."

"What things?" both siblings asked suspiciously.

"They said that you have turned to the dark side…that you…killed younglings!"

"I would never kill someone without a weapon," Kelly protested quietly, but still standing to the side while Anakin countered the accusations.

"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me."

"He cares about us," the girl argued confidently.

"Us?!"

"He knows…they both do. They want to help you." There was something in his eyes that was different. He was somehow not the same. "Anakin…all I want is your love."

"Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that."

So that's what he was up to! All because of those simple dreams…The question was: what was really happening?

"At what cost?! You are a good person. Don't do this!"

Could it be true?!

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother. I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi but Kelly has ever dreamed of…and I'm doing it for you, to protect you."

She had to talk him…them out of it. What Elaina and Obi-Wan had said was impossible, but, between Anakin's eyes and Kelly's silence, it was becoming more and more evident.

"Come away with me," she desperately begged, her eyes shooting between her husband and best friend. "Help me raise our child…your niece or nephew, Kelly. Leave everything else behind while we still can!"

"Don't you see?" he nearly interrupted. That look was becoming more crazed and irrational by the second…almost exactly like what had happened on Tatooine after his mother's death…but something was different about it. It was more refined, to the point. But, would she be able to talk him down this time? "We don't have to run away anymore," he continued. "I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him! And together, you and I can rule the galaxy! Make things the way we want them to be."

"Kelly," the senator tried, quivering with tortured despair, "don't tell me you're with him on this!"

With a defining smirk, the older woman replied with untimely smoothness,

"I'm a little perturbed about him overthrowing the Chancellor, but, aside from that, yes. The war is at an end because of what Anakin and I have done to make it so. The pesky Separatists have met their demise and the droids are no longer functional. Peace reigns."

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," Padme murmured, backing away from Anakin in horror. "Obi-Wan was right. You've changed!"

"I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan," Anakin began; however, he was momentarily interrupted by Kelly.

"Even now, he's probably hiding away somewhere with Mistress Jinn, like he has always done."

Then, the man went on, unfazed by the disruption.

"The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me!"

That set the tears on a course she feared would never stop. Her worst fears had been realized. Kelly and Anakin, the two people she cared for more than anything in the galaxy were looking at her as if she had betrayed them. The truth was: neither of them were acting even close to anything she recognized. Anakin had always been so caring and concerned for her well-being and opinion. Kelly never went a moment without some sarcastic comment or ice-breaking smile. All of that was different. They were different. The dark side…murder…

"I don't know you anymore," Padme cried. "Anakin…you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow!"

"Because of Obi-Wan?" he queried, looking behind her…but she didn't care. She was frantic to bring him…them back!

"Because of what you've done…what you plan to do! Stop! Stop now! Come back! I love you."

"Liar!" the boy suddenly yelled, causing her to look back at the ship. Obi-Wan was standing in the doorway of the cruiser.

"No!" Once the conflict began, it would only end with death.

"You're with him. You brought him here to kill me!"

As he lifted his hand in the infamous Force-choke, Padme grabbed her throat, gasping for breath. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't move. All she could do was repeat the word 'no' for her life, his life, the lives of her children, the lives of every living being in the galaxy who would be destroyed by his irrational rage. As soon as it began, it ended. She dropped to the ground with a gasp for air before falling out of consciousness.

The next thing she became aware of was the clash of lightsabers; not too close, though. The sound was beginning to fade. Since she dared not move or open her eyes, Padme finally decided to temporarily rely on her hearing alone. Beyond the agonizing heartbreak, she heard a voice a little ways off, most likely from the ship's doorway: Elaina.

"I present to you, dear sister, the results of your 'new world'. By becoming what you are, you have not only destroyed your own identity, but everything we ever knew." The sound of slow steps descending down the ramp reached her ears.

"By destroying the lies, dictatorships, and plotting of the Jedi order, I have helped create a new society which will live on in peace for generations, Elaina! For all your popularity, you never even thought of looking up to what I have been becoming over the past year, while you were romanticizing with my fiancé…ex-fiancé, as he's about to become. Too bad he won't turn…he's too much like you: stubborn to the last." That was Kelly, probably only a few paces away.

Elaina's voice then took on a more desperate tone, while, after that, the other girl only gained emotional momentum.

"What happened to you, Kelly?"

"I opened my eyes; that's what happened! The Jedi have been constructing this plot for who knows how long. The Chancellor was perfect with timing in his defense against them…you. I suppose, after the Council took you under their wing, Palpatine only figured that the odds should be even in that respect." She laughed. "Hardly even for you now, though. Look at you…for all your high-handed thoughts of yourself, you'll never match me, Elaina."

"Come back from the road you have taken! There's still a chance!"

"Never! If you could only feel the power…No, you're simply too stubborn…and compassionate."

"You force my hand."

Cloaks dropped and lightsabers were ignited, at which point, Padme once again slipped into oblivion.

Thanks for reading! Please…well, you know the drill.


	29. The End of the Beginning

Thanks Katie Ladmoore, DragonRider2000, and Moonstar 11 (welcome aboard!) for your reviews!

Nightwish's "End of All Hope" is with the 1st scene and Josh Groban's "Remember When It Rained" is for the 2nd…

The End of the Beginning

"Well, well, Silvereyes," Raina continued, twirling her not-yet-engaged lightsaber with her fingers. "It looks as if we get to do this all over again. Once again, I'll have the pleasure of killing you."

"What are you talking about? You are Kelly Skywalker, not Sheba Bladerunner! And I'm your sister, Elaina Jinn, not Turanga Silvereyes! You don't have to do this!"

With that, she began circling the slightly older girl, who had reached the center of the open space on the platform.

"My master has brought to light so many similarities between me and Sheba that I might as well be her! Unlike her, however, I will not turn against my master."

"Your master was Mace Windu, a wise and kind man, not this twisted force of darkness."

"He never cared for me any more than any of you did," the Sith corrected, continuing her loop. Elaina simply stood there looking at the ground, her hands at her sides.

She was indeed quite a pretty sight. Instead of the usual boots, Elaina wore soft brown leather shoes that didn't even reach her ankles. Aside from her ring, she wore no jewelry, only an elaborate off-white dress.

The bodice of it was the girl's habitual nearly-revealing corset. The skirt, coming directly from the bodice, was of a thick, lace-like material that nearly reached her ankles; however, on the right side, the seam lifted it to her knee. Finally, the sleeves, of the same fabric as the skirt, were similarly elegant, splitting at her elbows, while the neckline was delimited only by the sleeves' and corset's attached borders.

Finished with her observations, Raina stopped her pacing in front of her enemy.

"Always one for fashion. Now, enough of this blabber of pointless conversation." The moment she ignited her weapon, a crash was heard from the station as the shield keeping the lava contained was shut off. "Shall we?"

Elaina engaged and raised her defense just as the Sith attacked, leaving them momentarily face to face.

"Your eyes are black. Fitting, I suppose."

"And your hair now only has blond streaks. Pathetic."

The real fight then commenced. Raina used the Force in pushing her foe backwards, nearly throwing her off-balance; however, Elaina quickly recovered, took one look at Padme, and raced full-tilt towards the lava river.

"Soresu was always a pure weakness!" she called after the coward. "Another thing you and Obi-Wan had in common."

Charging forward, the Darth launched herself across the lava flow, using the Force to propel her, landing just behind her fleeing twin, who, after stumbling to her knees, had already regained a standing position.

"Kelly, this isn't what you want!"

Raina smirked. The great Jedi mistress was desperate.

"I didn't really expect you to be such a coward by running away; however, I suppose that only shows how far I have come."

For a moment, they simply stood looking at each other, Raina impatiently gloating until her past friend sighed.

"Kelly, I don't want to hurt you, but my orders were clear. You cannot be allowed to wreak havoc upon the innocents of this galaxy. As a Jedi, it is my duty to stop you."

With quick succession to the boring dialogue, she once again attacked, raining dozens of blows upon her foe, who continued the usage of the defensive Form III method. The technique only furthered Raina's already fired-up anger. Was the girl mocking her by using such an archaic style, or had the younger woman simply gained that much power? Of course, nothing was a match for the blinding Form VII.

She twirled her lightsaber to the right and faked a stab before suddenly changing positions and aiming for the enemy's head. Elaina, however, somehow anticipated the move and ducked down, aiming for the legs of Raina, who in turn leapt over the girl's head, landing behind her. Sparks flew as purple clashed with green again and again with fearful ferocity. Slowly but surely, the Sith began backing her adversary downstream along the stone beach. With each step, she began losing her grip on her actions, only caring about killing the traitor in front of her.

Elaina, meanwhile, maintained, for the most part, an impassive façade that could easily be seen through. She was going to lose. It was all coming out as planned. Finally, Raina paused. If the clothes hadn't been leather, they would have stuck maddeningly to her skin for all the heat and exertion. She ignored though, and settled on wallowing in the oncoming victory, pointing her weapon forward.

"You betrayed me! For years I trusted you! All I ever received was more disdain from the Council and more lies from you."

"I would never lie to my sister. Darth Raina might be a different situation, however. She is consuming the sister I swore and failed to protect. Kelly, you have to fight it! Think of what Mother would say…will say!"

"She has nothing to say anymore, Mistress Jinn. She's dead!"

"What?"

There was an opening and she took it. Her downward slice didn't have quite the effect she had desired, but it was equally gratifying. As the woman's blade came down, Elaina attempted to execute a duck that would have apparently been followed by a backward retreat. It didn't work out quite that way.

As the former Council member bowed down, her extremely lengthy hair flipped around after her. Instead of flesh, the blade hit the voluminous tresses. It almost made her feel guilty seeing the soft locks fall to the ground and begin to blow down the hill in the gentle, toasty breeze. Her attention was brought back to reality as Elaina scrambled to her feet, grabbed her weapon, engaged it, and held it in defensive readiness. Her hair was evidently singed at the tips and hardly went past her ears.

After the moment of shock, the duel recommenced. While they would one second be struggling in a perfectly matched and immovable stalemate, the next they were chasing each other, always downstream, with few variants. If they had been fighting on a forest planet instead of the literal melting pot, not a tree would be standing at that moment due to the nearly constant cascade of sparks.

They were so busy with their own battle that they had failed to notice their male counterparts' passing a few seconds before.

Finally, in the process of one of her quick retreats, Elaina tripped on a protruding rock. When she attempted to lift her lightsaber to protect herself, Raina viciously used her own to knock it away. The young woman's short cry of agony alerted the Sith that she had taken more than just the out-of-commission heirloom. While holding her right hand tightly against her left side, Elaina raised her right hand, clearly intending to do something with the Force.

"You've lost, Elaina," she warned, holding her weapon a bit more loosely. "There's no use in continuing this contest when we know who is better. Perhaps my master will have mercy and allow you to join us."

The only response was a sudden shower of pebbles from the surrounding area being launched in her direction from behind the other girl. Prior to impact, however, Raina sent a power-surge of her own, reversing the projectiles' direction and sending them on a successful collision course with their first commander. Several hit their mark, but that didn't stop Elaina from trying something else, without achieving it, obviously. The fighter never did discover what her sister's intentions had been, but it didn't matter to her at the moment. After this stroke, her revenge would be final.

The blurred light of her weapon sent the pitiful Jedi crumpling to the ground.

"You lose," Raina stated as the one at her mercy tried sitting up without touching her practically carved back to the ground. Without medical attention, she would die; but recovery was an excellent possibility since the victor had been incredibly careful not to give the privilege of a quick death. Between the severed thumb (of all things) and cut back, Elaina wasn't going anywhere. That was made clear as she completely failed in raising herself beyond a prop on the elbows, an occasional moan escaping through the clenched teeth and her forehead completely creased in pain. She seemed to relax a bit, however, when looking behind the Sith…probably only some hallucination brought on by the pain, but it was something in that look…no matter.

"Kelly…by following Palpatine…you will only hurt yourself more than anyone."

"Ha…still trying to 'turn me back', huh? It's not happening. Every promise you made, you broke. You promised to never leave me behind in the order; look who became a Council member and who didn't. You agreed that Obi-Wan would be mine alone if he chose me. Who has been chasing him since he did 'choose' me?"

"Obi-Wan loves you, Mother love…loved you, I love you, Anakin loves you, if he is still capable of that, Padme loves you, we all love you, Kelly! No dark lord of the Sith, no matter who he is, can diminish that knowledge from you twisted mind."

A distant cry of anger and pain caught their attention.

"Anakin…"

"Yes, he is not all powerful with the dark side and neither are you. Come back to us, Kelly. Without you on our side, we will fail in returning the Republic and the order to their former glory. We need you. Most importantly, Obi-Wan needs you. You should have seen the agony on his face when he saw the recording of you in the temple. Kelly, I think he may love you even more than I do."

"No," the woman denied, weakly shaking her head and reengaging her idle lightsaber, "…no, I saw the two of you only a few days ago…"

"…talking," was the interruption. "We were only talking…arguing even. Your conclusion was rashly too quick. Obi-Wan and I have hardly gotten along since he 'chose' you."

"You lie!"

More distant screams…first anger, then of unimaginable pain.

"Does pain lie?! Ask Anakin if he can still even think beyond whatever he is going through, mental and/or physical. Please, Kelly! Don't follow him down the path of darkness to where you will never be able to turn back!"

"No, I don't believe you. Anakin is too powerful…"

"He is not, Kelly! The dark side has its weaknesses just as we do. They think irrationally, often making mistakes; we, if trained well enough, think things through…sometimes to where we take too long in making decisions, as the Council often did. If not for my sake or anyone else's, come back for Obi-Wan…for yourself!"

Unexpectedly, Obi-Wan came slowly walking over a hill some distance away along the river, practically dragging his feet.

"_Kelly, thank heavens you're here!" Windu called. The debate went back and forth as Kelly studied Palpatine's face. It was deformed, yes; but it brought forth some features she hadn't noticed before. There was something deceiving about it, more so than she had originally thought. _

_All doubts of the man's innocence, however, were dashed away as Windu raised his lightsaber for the final blow._

"_No!" she cried. She almost regretted siding with the Sith for a moment upon seeing the piercing look on his face just before Palpatine flung him out the window with his Force lightening._

_Betrayal, sorrow, despair…_

--

"Obi-Wan!"

The familiar address caused the man to look up from the ground and towards the sound. There they were: the two women who had caused a good chunk of his joy and sorrow over the past several years, one standing and the other lying on the ground. As he approached, Obi-Wan only had eyes for Kelly, the one who had called. The offensive lightsaber had been placed in her belt and her frighteningly black eyes were a bluish-green, sometimes one, sometimes the other.

"Kelly?" he queried cautiously. "Is it really you?"

"It's alright, Obi-Wan," Elaina gasped from her prone position.

That was confirmation enough as he quickly diminished the space between himself and Kelly. She limply fell into his embrace upon contact.

"What have I done?" she weakly asked.

"What you did has nothing to do with who you are now, Kelly," he kindly chided, holding her head against his chest. "Darth Raina is gone. You are Kelly Skywalker, now and forever."

"Uh, people?" the injured woman put in. "I hate to break up this wonderful reunion, but…what happened to Anakin?" He didn't know how to answer that question. "Obi-Wan?" She was getting fainter, but none the less determined. "What…happened?"

"The Force will decide his fate."

"Wh…but…" She was cut off by her own cry of pain. Apparently, it was worsening. When he released his hold on Kelly, they both ran to Elaina's side and held her up before she could collapse completely.

"What happened to you?"

"Raina used me as target practice."

"Very funny!" the younger twin sarcastically protested. It seemed that things did actually have a chance of somewhat recovering. "Alright, little invalid, let's get you to a medic."

"At least it won't be one of those confounded clones! The last one that tried to patch me up almost got me killed!"

"Good, your humor's still intact."

Since she was closer to Elaina's height, Kelly was the one responsible for supporting her sister in the slow procession back to the ship. After those few precious seconds of lighthearted conversation, the group took on a more somber air. Anakin was probably dead; and if he wasn't, he would hunt them down with unquenchable vengeance. The Emperor, if Yoda had failed his mission, would bring terror and destruction to everything they knew. People everywhere would obey the new government simply for fear of it. Finally, the guilt of their own failures would hang over the heads of all three companions. Apparently trying to break the ice as they boarded a small collector/ferry to cross the river, Kelly piped up.

"So, El…what were you seeing a little while ago? You seemed quite interested at what was behind me, though I didn't care at the time."

A knowing and confidential smile appeared on the woman's face as she stared into space prior to replying.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh, come on! At this point, I think I'd believe just about anything."

"I think…you will discover it when it is your time to know."

"Didn't we make an agreement that you wouldn't keep any more secrets from me?"

"I would remember if we did, and we did not."

"Humph…it was worth a try."

"Indeed it was, dear sister. Now that we have crossed this moat, shall we get going before my pain comes back full force?"

Once again, they started walking and eventually reached the landing pad. Even though it hadn't even been half of an hour since they had landed, years seemed to have gone by since the beginning of the fight. Padme was nowhere in sight; however, 3PO was.

"Oh, Master Kenobi! Oh! And the Mistresses Elaina and Kelly! We have Miss Padme on board. Please, please hurry. We really should leave this dreadful place." Patting the droid on the shoulder, Obi-Wan entered the ship and headed for the side room where the senator was laying a small cot. When he approached, she drowsily awoke.

"Obi-Wan…is Anakin all right?"

He was almost relieved when she drifted off again, saving him from giving a painful explanation. In the cockpit, he enjoyed another small reprieve as 3PO had already taken pilot's seat, allowing him to sit in the copilot chair and think for a moment. Kelly meanwhile had Elaina seated in one of the back benches, apparently preferring to stand herself.

"I couldn't find anything for pain, but I did find a little tranquilizer that ought to last about an hour," she said, I hint of sad humor on the edge of her voice. "How is Padme?"

"Not good, I'm afraid…I can only hope that we aren't too late." With that, he switched on communications and contacted the Polis Massa asteroid hideout. A few minutes passed again and they were in hyperspace.

"Obi-Wan?"

"What is it, Kelly?"

Kneeling beside him, the girl went on.

"Long ago, you made a promise to me. The Jedi going into hiding is only inevitable…"

The man cut her short.

"You're thinking that you, Elaina, and I can go off to some remote world and live out the rest of our lives (hopefully not that long, no offence) in quiet and peaceful hiding. You're right. I did make that promise and I intend to keep it. Kelly, I swear this to you: In the likely event that we do go into hiding, we will be together, no matter what."

"Maybe this day will end on a less depressing note after all."

"Possibly."

--

She was still rather groggy; however, Elaina managed to raise herself up and sneak away without the enthralled lovers noticing. Luckily, since the tranquilizer was still mostly in effect, the pain was minimal as the woman softly stumbled to the room where Padme was. Dropping down, she grasped the senator's limp arm with her good hand.

"A boy and a girl…they will have to be separated for their own protection."

"You can see the future?"

Padme's innocent, frail question rather shocked the Knight, but she answered calmly anyway.

"Only little fragments that are impossible to piece together. I only know that they are a boy and a girl and that they will have to be separated…nothing more. Everything else I could even possibly fathom is a muddled mess."

"Elaina, if it comes down to it, will you protect at least one of my children? It's a lot to ask, but I have the feeling from the look in your eyes that it will be necessary."

"What makes you think such things, Padme? You will be alright…however, if you must choose which child to attend the most…I will do what I can for the other…with my life. I swear that."

She then watched her friend slowly lose consciousness once more and a cold feeling hit her. The main events of the day were not yet over. She had a feeling.

Thank you for reading! You know the drill with reviews and all…

Katie Ladmoore: I know you wanted me to save Anakin and I am so sorry for not; however, majorly changing storylines like that in my writing just isn't my thing, no matter how much I want it to change (a good example being Boromir in LOTR…I HATE that he died).

Moonstar 11: I hope to continue capturing your attention…then, I can actually say that I have an average of three reviewers instead of two…every one counts for me. :)

To both Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000, I would like to thank each of you for your wonderful support throughout the bulk of this story. You are fantastic people! The truth is: this story wouldn't be the same without you.

Well, only one more chapter to go before I start the sequel. I WAS going to do just one story for all six movies, but I never fathomed this one being SO LONG. First, however, I hope you enjoy the rest of this one.


	30. What the Empire Brings

Thanks DragonRider2000, Katie Ladmoore, Moonstar 11, and MeldaTavar for your reviews!

Well, here it is: the final chapter. I hope it lives up to any expectations you may have…:) Oh, and if you want to get an idea of what Elaina's new hairstyle actually looks like, a good example is Samantha Carter's hairdo from season 8 of Stargate SG-1…

Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On" is for scenes 1-4, Idina Menzel's "Brave" with the 5th, Dana Glover's "It is You I Have Loved" for 6-7, and Enya's "May It Be" for the 8th…

What the Empire Brings

They had landed, taken their injured friends to the medical center, and at the moment, Kelly was leaning against the doorway of a separated room where a droid was administering to a rather grouchy Elaina.

"I don't care if you 'don't have the necessities' and I'll 'have to wear a glove to cover it'! Just do it! No, I don't need more drugs! Ouch!! Quit that!"

"Relax, Elaina!" the girl called, popping around the corner to see her twin fighting with a medical droid that was trying to properly position the 'replacement' right thumb.

"Sis, did you really have to cut off my thumb of all things?"

"Huh…for once, you didn't get mad at me for telling you to relax."

"I guess I missed it a bit. Ouch! Can't you do better than that?! R2 would make a better physician than you!"

When she got closer, Kelly noted what she had missed. Some gizmo-gadget had been used to 'seal' the wound on her back while it healed. In fact, the injury she had inflicted wasn't nearly as bad as it had appeared to be on Mustafar. Unfortunately, a scar would be inevitable. Elaina's hair, either by herself or someone else, had been cut to nearly the nape of her neck, eliminating the burnt ends. It would have been incredibly unfortunate, however, the layered, slightly winged-at-the-end style made it actually quite nice.

By that time, the mechanical replacement had been attached and Elaina was slipping a white leather glove onto her hand.

"Aren't you in any pain? That cut I gave you was for that purpose."

"Are you joking?" the other woman laughed, motioning to the robot. "Ol' fumble-fingers here gave me enough pain killers for a recently one-legged army." Then she paused. "Something is terribly wrong."

She then flew out the door, momentarily leaving Kelly standing there, quite perplexed.

--

"Elaina, wait!" was the quick and fruitless order from Organa as the girl buzzed by and opened the door to the last-minute maternity ward.

"Leia," she heard the senator whisper as the Knight approached, coming around and standing next to Obi-Wan. She had to admit, the newcomers were a brilliant sight. Since Obi-Wan was already holding the boy, Elaina took the privilege of holding her new niece. Another one of Organa's quick demands alerted them that Kelly had finally arrived and put on the breaks the instant she saw what was happening.

"I'm an aunt!" she murmured in shock as she stood between her fiancé and sister. Padme's soft talking, however, ceased all conversation.

"Obi-Wan…there is still good in him. I know there is…still…"

Everyone stared in silent shock. She was gone. The only one that didn't seem completely devastated was Elaina, who said but a few finalizing words.

"…hope. There is still hope."

--

Kelly jerked her head in surprise when Yoda broke the silence. No one had hardly even spoken a sentence since Padme's death several hours before; and since then, they had traveled to Naboo and already placed the body in the charge of her friends on the planet. The best friend had, of course, paid her respects, being responsible for placing the japor snippet necklace in the woman's hand.

"Hidden, safe, the children must be kept," the Jedi master opinionated from his seat in the conference room aboard Senator Organa's starcruiser. It had been concluded that a decision needed to be reached about their collective fates prior to any takeoff.

"We must take them somewhere the Sith will not sense their presence," Obi-Wan put in from beside Kelly.

"Split up they should be."

The senator volunteered.

"My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

"And what of the boy?" Master Kenobi further inquired.

"To Tatooine," Yoda replied. "To his family send him."

"I will take the child and watch over him."

"What of you, Elaina, Kelly?"

The younger girl replied before her sister even budged.

"We'll go with Obi-Wan, Master."

"Very well, then. Until the time is right, disappear we will."

Seeming to notice Elaina's obvious silence as he turned to go, Organa addressed the girl.

"Mistress Jinn, may I have a word with you?"

"Relax, Kelly," Elaina quietly scolded upon seeing the dark brunette's scowl, patting her on the shoulder while standing to follow the senator. "Don't worry so much."

After they had left, Yoda stopped the final two from leaving.

"Master Kenobi, Kelly, wait a moment. In you solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."

"Training?" they both queried with disbelief.

"An old friend has learned the path to immortality. One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force…your old Master."

"Qui-Gon!" the man exclaimed, leaving Kelly baffled.

"How to commune with him I will teach you."

--

C-3PO listened for a moment as his counterpart let out a series of quick tweets, at the same time trying to pay attention to the conclusion of his human companions' chatter while they walked down a hallway.

"What are you talking about…'at least'? You dimwitted space junk! Now, I have no idea what they were saying!"

The senator's address to another man drew his attention.

"Captain Antilles…"

"Yes, your Highness," 'Antilles' replied.

"I'm placing these droids in your care. Treat them well; clean them up. Have the protocol droid's mind wiped."

"What?!" the robot cried in dismay. His friend simply chuckled in a rather condescending manner. "Oh, no!" Another series of beeps… "What are you blabbering about? It's not my fault you couldn't just switch off for a moment and spare me from your ridiculous comments. Now, I don't even know what you're referring to. 'At least'! Can't you do better than that?!"

--

From a final trip to the infirmary and after exchanging her torn garment for a simple, belted white dress, Elaina went directly to the hall which connected all of the separate landing pads, where most of the other refugees were waiting for the final farewell. About halfway to her destination, however, she came upon Master Yoda, who was also making his way in that direction.

"Master," she addressed him for the first time since the events at the Jedi temple, "do you mind if I walk with you?"

"Yes, Elaina," the little green Jedi replied graciously. "See you again I will not likely. Chewbacca sent his greetings. Nearly forgot did I."

"Oh come now, Master. You haven't forgotten anything during the time I have known you," the girl argued with a smile, trying to not think of any other time but the present. Yoda returned her thoughts to elsewhere, however.

"Know your plans do I," he stated gravely. "The right decision you are making."

"But, Master, how do you know that?"

"Doubt my opinion, do you?"

Silence.

"No, Master, I do not doubt your opinion…only my own. I don't trust myself anymore, after all that has happened."

"Learn to do so once again you must, though not to an extreme. In this, your father will help you, as he did on Mustafar." When she gave him a suspicious glance, he further added, "Tell me of it he did."

The doorway to their objective was only a short ways away.

"Anakin…Vader is still alive, isn't he? I can feel his presence, if faint, even now. Am I wrong?"

"Alive Vader is…with hateful vengeance on his mind. Avoid him at all costs you should."

"Yes, Master."

At that moment, the door opened and their friends came into view: Senator Organa, Obi-Wan, Kelly, the droids, a few personnel, and, of course, Luke and Leia.

"About time, El!" her twin called, holding Luke beside Obi-Wan. "Ready to go? I think all of our supplies are on Nubian craft. Obi…Ben says that we'll sell the ship on Tatooine to buy the other things we'll need. What's wrong?"

Looking at Yoda, the older woman took a moment to answer the question.

"Nothing in particular is wrong, Kelly. Did I just hear you call Obi-Wan…Ben?"

"Uh-huh…we decided that he needed to change his name in order to stay under the radar."

"What about you?"

She grinned from ear to ear.

"We have a different way of solving that problem. Now, let's go! I hate long goodbyes."

"Kelly, aren't you forgetting something?" Obi…Ben put in.

"Oh…sorry. Master Yoda, thank you for everything."

"It is I who should thank you, Kelly," was the response, "for returning from the path that few have come back from."

"Master!" Elaina exclaimed from a different point in the lengthy space. "You ended that sentence with a preposition."

The moment of laughter was cut short by Kelly's dismay.

"Elaina…what are you doing?"

Indeed, the shorter girl's actions did look a bit suspicious as she took the infant girl from the senator and settled Leia into her arms. Regretfully, she looked at her beloved sister.

"I made a promise Kelly. Not only that, but if I went with you, your life with…Ben would hardly be happy. I couldn't do that to you or you, Ben. Please understand."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not going with you. Senator…His Majesty Organa offered me a position as Leia's bodyguard and caretaker…babysitter now, counselor and protector later. Kelly, you have no idea how hard this is for me, but it must be done."

"Everything that's happened…everything I did to you…and you're just going to leave?!"

Her heart ached, but she couldn't turn back; therefore, Elaina settled on approaching the other woman and grasping her shoulder with the newly repaired hand.

"You know as well as I do that it couldn't be any other way."

"Don't do this."

"I'm sorry." Both of them knew that they couldn't change what happened, what needed to happen, or what would happen. They could change many things, that much had been proven with Kelly's return; however, certain things were inevitable. If Elaina went with her sibling, the awkward moments with Obi-Wan would turn into years. If she went with Organa, she would have a chance to do at least some good. "Don't forget me."

"Never in a million years," Kelly said with a shaking voice, embracing Elaina as far as the niece and nephew they were holding would allow. "We will see each other again."

"What, you can see the future now?"

"I'm working on it, but no. It's just a feeling."

"Feelings aren't all bad."

With one last look at her former master, might-have-been lover, and once-an-enemy twin, Elaina held her little charge a bit closer to herself and followed her new leader down the hall and through the door back to his docked cruiser.

--

Nearly a complete day since she had sworn fealty to the dark lord of the Sith, Kelly Skywalker, soon to be Kenobi, sat behind her fiancé as they approached the lonely moisture farm on Tatooine, riding an eopie. After sliding off, Ben took Luke from the girl and began walking towards the settlement where the young couple was waiting. As he left, Kelly hopped down herself and strolled over to the family 'graveyard' a little ways away. She then knelt down and brushed the dust off of one of the stones: Shmi Lars, beloved wife and mother. Suddenly, the woman became conscious of Ben's presence behind her.

"Are you ready?" he queried softly.

In response, she stood, grabbed her lover's arm, and began directing him back to their beast of burden.

"Ready to marry you and find a nice secluded house somewhere in the desert? Definitely…but it better have a half-decent well. I'm not going to be lugging buckets back and forth just for a decent bath once in a while."

--

"Well, that went quicker than I expected," Kelly Kenobi pointed out some several hours later, standing in front of their new residence in the Dune Sea while Ben started unloading the supplies. It was a simple lodging, hidden away and hewn out of the rock, but it would serve their purpose. The suns could be seen setting just in view…perfect. "Ben, come here for a second."

"Getting a head start on the tough, bossy wife thing, are we?" the man joked as he put an arm around the woman's shoulders.

"I take that as an insult, Master Kenobi! Just look at it. What do you think?"

"Enough for what we need."

"I personally think it needs a few special touches. Don't worry; I won't ruin the natural look of it. I just think it needs to look more like a home that a mud-covered tent."

"Hmm," Ben thought, leading his wife through the small doorway. "A door might be a good start."

"I heartily agree! Maybe we aren't so opposite, after all. That'll be boring with nothing to argue about!"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find plenty of things." Then he cringed. "Speaking of which…there is a little problem with the water system…it isn't quite finished."

"You…" Kelly couldn't find the words, so she simply put her hands on her hips. "Ben Kenobi, how many times will I have to tell you…?"

"Oh yes, definite housewife."

"Does this look like a kitchen knife on my belt?"

"With a few adjustments…"

They couldn't take it anymore. With bursts of laughter, they embraced and started the proper corrections for the new home. Elaina had been right, she was sure of that, now. As long as the Jedi needed to hide, they would happily live their new lives with no one but each other to worry about or rely upon. Life now had so much potential! Even though they only had their small homestead to work with, the future didn't look at all bleak.

She would one day see Elaina. With that thought, Kelly could go on without guilt hanging over her head. She had her husband…husband, such a foreign word to her tongue and thoughts…nothing could stand between any them longer. They had the freedom to be together and happy.

"Making yourselves comfortable, I see," a new voice suddenly addressed them. Both Jedi shot up, lightsabers engaging in the blink of an eye. "I'm sorry, but that wouldn't work on me no matter what. I've had more than my fair share."

They looked around in confusion until a rather unexpected sight came around the corner: Qui-Gon Jinn.

"It can't be!" Kelly cried, though she set her weapon aside anyway. "I thought we had to learn to communicate with you."

"Not really, no. Elaina didn't have to train in order to see me, did she?"

"But, Yoda said that…"

"Yoda thinks that everything is a training session," the dead-man-walking lightly interrupted. "Anyway," he continued, "I just wanted to wish you the best. I'll drop in once in a while if you don't mind."

"Not really." And, he was gone. "Well, that was rather odd."

"I don't know," Ben argued, sitting down on the one available space not filled by Kelly's sorting piles. "I suppose I'm simply used to that sort of thing."

A thought suddenly came to her mind and she began pointing at the different piles randomly.

"What are you doing?"

"Just counting the piles," the woman said, distinctly indicating Ben in her count.

"Which was that?"

"Oh, the target practice one…"

Again they laughed, twice in but a few minutes…it was unbelievable. Yes, contentment was a given.

"Well, I am going to see about that well. You can…do your thing…whatever that may be."

"Very funny," she teased after him, using the Force to trip him a bit.

--

About an hour before Kelly and Obi-Wan delivered Luke to his aunt and uncle, the Alderaan craft lowered itself into a docking bay on its home planet and two figures emerged, one tall and the other short, eventually followed by a few others. The short figure carried a small bundle wrapped in a soft cloth. Slowly, with deliberate movements, they made their way into the palace, into the elevator, and up to one of the top floors.

"Elaina," the taller person, Organa, began, "may I introduce you to my wife, Queen Breha Organa."

The middle-aged woman sitting on the mountain-viewing balcony turned toward the newcomers with a gentle smile. The queen was very beautiful by any standards and there was something about her that told Elaina she would make a wonderful mother for Leia. On cue, the girl approached Breha and placed the precious child in her arms prior to backing away a few steps and getting down on one knee.

"My queen," she stated, "I hereby swear fealty to you and your husband. It being my primary purpose here, I also swear to protect the Princess Leia with my life, no matter what."

Though Elaina continued to stare at the ground, she sensed her new monarch as she knelt down in front of her and felt the gentle lifting fingers under her chin, forcing her to make eye contact.

"But you are a Jedi," Breha said with shocking kindness. "Should you really be swearing loyalty to someone outside of your order?"

"My lady…the Jedi order is gone, at least for now. Many rules I once held sacred no longer apply to my life or that of any other surviving Jedi, Knight, padawan, or Master. It leaves me free to do such things as I have just done. I am now totally at your service."

"I cannot accept both your loyalty to my husband and I and to the child. According to Bail, you are to be Leia's bodyguard. I will not bind you to rules that you may one day be conflicted with. As the protector of my new daughter, you are subject to certain obedience, but not beyond a certain extent."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"I wasn't drilled in politics my entire life for nothing, Elaina. One other thing…from what I hear, you will need to change your name in some way, at least in the public eye. Leia will grow knowing your true name."

A moment of silence ensued as the Knight thought.

"Aylana, in honor of my late padawan, Aayla."

"Aylana Jinn…very well then. Welcome home, Aylana."

"Thank you, my lady."

With that final note, both women stood, the queen moving to once again sit on the balcony bench with her husband and daughter, and the other walking a few feet away to watch the sunset. The age Elaina had grown up in was over. There was no going back to change things…but there were so many things she wanted to change! The destruction of the Jedi order, Padme's death, Anakin's turning, Obi-Wan's choosing of Kelly, her mother's death, her father's demise…it was all in the past.

The only thing really in the Knight's power was to do her duty in protecting Leia, watch her grow, and be ready when the galaxy had use for her again. But how long would that be? Hours, days, months, years, decades, centuries? How long would the people have to suffer under someone suffering himself? Vader had surely found out about his wife's passing and because of it, thousands of innocents would pay. It almost made Elaina want to abandon her post right then and there, run to the new Sith, and offer herself in exchange for all those lives

She couldn't and wouldn't. Too much was at risk to make a rash decision like that. That was Kelly's department. Oh, Kelly! Thoughts of her sister suddenly flooded the woman. For years, they had nearly been enemies; for some hours in fact, they had indeed been foes. Now, just when they made peace between each other, they were torn apart for who knew how long! The only thing she could take comfort in was that she would one day see her.

Hope would emerge.

Well, that's it. Thank you everyone for reading this story! I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and looked forward to every single review. Please review, vote, etc.

I probably won't start the sequel, "Light Beyond Shadow," for a week or two. Music festivals, recitals, and school will keep me insanely occupied for a little while, but I should have the first chapter up by the end of the month if all things go well and something disastrous doesn't happen. :) Anyway, enough of my rambling! Thanks everyone!

I would also like to specifically thank my editor, a.k.a. Kelly's base personality and my best friend, for helping me through this story and for all her wonderful insight! Love ya!

Finally, I have yet another trailer (LOTR) on youtube and, of course, the link is on my profile. Please let me know how you like it! Thanks everyone!


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